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©1999 ARTE NOVA Musikproduktions GmbH. ©2006

Allegro Corporation, www.allegro-music.com/artenova.

Manufactured in the USA by Allegro Corporation, 14134

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NOVA CLASSICS is a trademark of BMG. AII trademarks

and logos are protected. AII rights reserved. Unauthorized

duplication or public broadcast is prohibited.

ALBERTO GINASTERA (im-ms) STRING QUARTETS I & 2

The Henschel Quartet

Christoph Henschel violin • Markus Henschel violin

Monika Henschel viola • Matthias Beyer-Karlshoj cello

String Quartet No. 1 Op. 20

1. 1. Allegro violente ed agitato 4:30

2. II.Vivacissimo 3:47

3. III. Calmo e poetico 7:19

4. IV.AIIegramente rustico 3:50

String Quartet No. 2 Op. 26

5. 1. Allegro rustico 5:54

6. II. Adagio angoscioso 6:10

7. III. Presto magico 3:48

8. IV. Libero e rapsodico 5:23

9. V. Furioso 4:33

total time 45:26

“(The Henschel Quartet’s) playing is fresh, thoughtful and involving...”

-Gramophone

“This young German ensemble expounds Ginastera’s first two

quartets - the folkloric-Bartokian First and the expressionistic-Bartokian

12-note Second - with ali the affectionate bravura they deserve ”

-BBC Mus/c magazine (★★★★)

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ALBERTO GINASTERA (im-ma) STRING QUARTETS I & 2

The Henschel Quartet

Christoph Henschel violin • Markus Henschel violin

Monika Henschel viola • Matthias Beyer-Karlshoj cello

String Quartet No. 1 Op. 20

1. I.AIIegro violente ed agitato 4:30

2. II.Vivacissimo 3:47

3. III. Calmo e poetico 7:19

4. IV.AIIegramente rustico 3:50

String Quartet No. 2 Op. 26

5. I.AIIegro rustico 5:54

6. II. Adagio angoscioso 6:10

7. III. Presto magico 3:48

8. IV. Libero e rapsodico 5:23

9. V. Furioso 4:33

total time 45:26

ALBERTO GINASTERA STRING QUARTETS I & 2

With Ginastera, born in Buenos Aires in

1916, there began a generation of Argentinian

composers for whom the use of folk elements

from the music of their native land seemed

self-evident. Even in the choice of tities, the

composer’s deep links to his native culture

are ciear, in the Impresiones de Ia Puna

(“Highland Sketches”) for flute and string

quartet as in the Danzas argentines for piano.

Stylistically, Ginastera’s works combine

national characteristics with neo-classical

techniques. His oeuvre is characterized,

however, not merely by folk elements, but by

a profound interaction with new compositional

techniques and the extension of the color

spectrum of individual instruments.

The String Quartet No. I, Op. 20, was

written in 1948; its four-movement form

reveals its organization along classical lines.

The first two movements, Allegro violento ed

agitato and Vivacissimo, are marked by spirited

rhythms. In the third movement, Calmo e

poetico, the first violin spins a cantilena above

the supporting trio. Double-stopped harmonics

enrich the tonal color of this contemplative

movement, and the quartet ends with an

Allegramente rustico. The work had its first

performance in Buenos Aires in 1948; a

decisive moment for the development of the

stili youthful composer, however, was its

successful premiere at the IGNM

(Internationale Gesellschaft fur Neue Musik

[International Society for Contemporary

Music]) Festival in Frankfurt, in 1949, which

made Ginastera known in Europe. The 1948

String Quartet is the first work of Ginastera’s

in which the dominant influence of folk music

is relegated to a subsidiary role in favor of a

closer approach to classical style. His

Argentinian origins were, however, to remain

a constant element in everything he wrote.

The String Quartet No. 2, Op. 26, from

1958, was revised ten years later by the

composer, an indication of his meticulous

craftsmanship.The quartet, which reminds us

of Bela Bartok’s Fifth String Quartet, was

written in response to a commission from

the renowned Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge

Foundation, and is Ginastera’s first work in

twelve-tone style. One may quite explicitly

point to Alban Berg, the youngest member of

the Vienna School, as Ginastera’s exemplar

here. The composer’s search for greater

expressiveness is to be seen in the work’s

five-movement layout, abandoning the

classical four-movement form. An Allegro

rustico and a Furioso comprise, in traditional

form, the outer movements, but a further

quick movement, a Presto magico, stands in

third place at the center of the quartet,

framed by two slower movements, the Allegro

angoscioso and the Libero e rapsodico.

Dr. Barbara Dobretsberger

HENSCHEL QUARTET The Henschel Quartet, formed in 1988

and prizewinners of many prestigious

International competitions (Salzburg,

Evian, Banff and Osaka), is today considered

one of the most exciting young string

quartets of its generation. Constant crit-

ical acclaim has led to an impressive Inter¬

national career. The Henschel Quartet

regularly appears at renowned festivals,

including performances at theTanglewood

Festival (USA), Kuhmo Festival (Finland),

the Schubertiade Feldkirch, the BBC

Proms concerts in London, the Aldeburgh

Festival, Festival de Wallonie (Belgium),

Rheingau Festival, Festival of Schwetzingen

and the Summer Festival of Bad Kissingen

(Germany).

During the 1998/99 season the

Henschel Quartet was invited to give two

concerts atWigmore Hali in London, with

further appearances at Wigmore Hali in

following seasons. In 1999/2000 the

Henschel Quartet gave concerts in the

Hamburger Musikhalle, the Konzerthaus

Berlin, the Stuttgartet Liederhalle, the

Tonhalle Zurich, the Glyptothek

Copenhagen and the Grand Theatre

Toulouse.A concert tour of the USA and

South America saw this virtuoso ensemble

performing in two of New York’s most

prestigious chamber music cycles. In April

2000 the Henschel Quartet embarked on

its eighth concert tour of Japan. During

this tour the Japanese television station

NHK produced a one-hour documentary

about the quartet.

Although critics have often emphasized

the technical mastery of their playing,

the ensemble is more significantly

characterized by its fundamental attitude

to music, which is expressed in its love of

music, the intensive and responsible

treatment of the works and spontaneity,

which have always filled audiences with

enthusiasm. In its unique style of

expression the quartet combines maturity

with irresistible youthful temperament.

In addition to numerous concert

performances as a quartet, they also

appear regularly with other musicians.

Amongst those who have performed with

the Henschel Quartet are members of the

Amadeus Quartet, the Cherubini Quartet,

Radovan Vladkowitsch, Eduard Brunner,

Hariolf Schlichtig and Klaus Kamper.

The Henschel Quartet has broadcast

for BBC London, Radio France, RTBF

Belgium, DRS Switzerland, Danish Radio,

Radio Polskie, CBC Canada, YTV Japan,

WDR, BR and NDR in Germany.

© 2006 Allegro Corporation 01999 ARTE NOVA Musikproduktions GmbH

Executive

Production

Producer North America Recording

Recording Producer Sound Engineer

Editing & CD Mastering Text

Translation Publisher

Editor Design

ARTE NOVA Musikproduktions GmbH in Co-Production with Bayerischer Rundfunk William D.Tennant December 9, 10 & 14, 1999 Studio 2, Bayerischer Rundfunk Bernhard Albrecht Winfried MeBmer (tracks I -4) Peter Urban (tracks 5-9) Bernhard Albrecht Dr. Barbara Dobretsberger MikeYarrow Boosey & Hawkes Karin Tikale Eric Garland, Modesty Marie Sablan

Allegro Corporation www.allegro-music.com/artenova

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