Maurice Ravel - String Quartet in F
Maurice Ravel completed his String Quartet in F major in early April 1903 at the age of 28. It was premiered in Paris in March the following year. The work follows a four-movement classical structure: the opening movement, in sonata form, presents two themes that occur again later in the work; a playful scherzo second movement is followed by a lyrical slow movement. The finale reintroduces themes from the earlier movements and ends the work vigorously.
The quartet's structure is modelled on that of Claude Debussy's String Quartet, written in 1893, although Ravel's musical ideas strongly contrast with Debussy's. Debussy admired Ravel's piece rather more than did its dedicatee, Ravel's teacher Gabriel Fauré. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Maurice Ravel completed his String Quartet in F major in early April 1903 at the age of 28. It was premiered in Paris in March the following year. The work follows a four-movement classical structure: the opening movement, in sonata form, presents two themes that occur again later in the work; a playful scherzo second movement is followed by a lyrical slow movement. The finale reintroduces themes from the earlier movements and ends the work vigorously.
The quartet's structure is modelled on that of Claude Debussy's String Quartet, written in 1893, although Ravel's musical ideas strongly contrast with Debussy's. Debussy admired Ravel's piece rather more than did its dedicatee, Ravel's teacher Gabriel Fauré. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shortly after its inception, the Tokyo Quartet became one of the most prominent string quartets in the world; since then, they have continued to uphold their reputation for insightful interpretations and a beautiful tonal blend. The quartet's original members -- Koichiro Harada (first violin), Yoshiko Nakura (second violin), Kazuhide Isomura (viola), and Sadao Harada (cello) -- all attended the Toho Gakuen (School of Music) during the 1960s, coming under the tutelage of the legendarily skilled and tyrannical pedagogue Hideo Saito.
Tokyo's interpretations were primarily distinguished by their determination to serve the music, rather than to display virtuosity. Their tone shifted somewhat with the changes in personnel, but the quartet always managed to make the adjustment successfully without sacrificing the quality of their blend. However, in 2011 Ikeda and Isomura decided to retire, and after several months of auditioning new members, the quartet decided it would better to end its career completely. Its farewell tour ended in July 2013. All music.
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