April 29, 2007 - CD of the Week

Sextet for Two Violins, Two Violas, Two Cellos, Op. 70

 "Souvenir de Florence"

Quartet No. 2 in F major, Op 22

Quartet No. 1 in D major, Op. 11, "Accordion"

Quartet No. 3 in E-flat minor, Op. 30

From Telarc International

YING QUARTET MAKES ITS SOLO DEBUT ON TELARC WITH TCHAIKOVSKY: SOUVENIR DE FLORENCE AND QUARTET NOS. 1-3

Now in its second decade, the Ying Quartet continues to make artistic and creative expression an essential part of everyday life. Souvenir de Florence, their solo debut on Telarc, is a magical recording. “We are delighted to be working with Telarc again,” says violist Philip Ying, “especially since we had such a memorable and rewarding experience recording with the Turtle Island Quartet on the GRAMMY winning 2005 Telarc release, 4+Four.”

This is the first time the Yings have recorded the Sextet and the Quartets by Tchaikovsky. “They are immensely satisfying to perform and record because of their melting lyricism, rhythmic vitality, and masterful dramatic arch,” says Ying. “We enjoyed the process of bringing to life the Second and Third Quartets – works that are not heard nearly as often as the First Quartet with its famous Andante Cantabile, and the blockbuster Sextet.”

Throughout his life, Tchaikovsky sought and received the musical favor of Europe, but forever remained deeply rooted in his native Russia. Despite this attachment to his homeland, the famous Mighty Five (Balakirev, Mussourgsky, Borodin, Cui, and Rimsky-Korskov) eschewed his academic associations as an insult to their interest in Russian folk traditions. In the West, however, he was viewed as one of the prominent “young Russians.”

In his chamber music, Tchaikovsky was more German than Russian, at least in his indebtedness to Brahms. Yet at the same time, an identifiable Russian spirit persists in these three string quartets and his sextet, Souvenir de Florence. Like many other nationalistic composers, Tchaikovsky was very intimate and universal when he turned to chamber music. His D Major Quartet (String Quartet No. 1) came through an invitation from Nikolai Rubinstein of the Moscow Conservatory for a performance for the Assembly of Nobles. It is known as “Accordion” because the opening theme of the first movement is highlighted by rising and falling chords.

The second of the three string quartets came in 1874, in a debut performance held in the apartment of Nikolai Rubinstein. The event is considered the beginning of the end of the friendship between the famous composer and pianist Anton Rubinstein, who found the work confusing and “not at all in the chamber style.” Tchaikovsky’s Second Quartet did in fact push the envelope with chromaticism, irregular rhythms, and fugal writing. Fortunately, the other members of the audience enjoyed it immensely, and it has since become his most popular of the three quartets.

The third quartet was written in 1876 and was dedicated to Ferdinand Laub, who had been a champion of the composer and the first violinist in the Russian Music Society’s quartet. Despite the triumphant reception for Quartet No. 3, Tchaikovsky was not completely satisfied, marking yet another step in the disillusionment that would haunt his life.

“It is especially rewarding to record the Tchaikovsky Sextet, Souvenir de Florence, with James Dunham on second viola and Paul Katz on second cello,” says Ying. “Dunham and Katz were members of the Cleveland Quartet when we studied with them at the Eastman School, which is also when the Quartet were making great recordings with Telarc.”

The Souvenir de Florence was inspired by Tchaikovsky’s love of the Italian city where he had spent time working on his opera The Maid of Orleans. The Sextet opens boldly but is followed in the second movement Adagio by a moving duet for violin and cello. The third movement Allegretto is an elegy, but includes sharp dynamic contrasts. In the final movement, an energetic fugue, Tchaikovsky reflects a “Russianness” that is also associated with Borodin.

The Ying Quartet – comprised of siblings Phillip, Timothy, Janet and David Ying – began their career as an ensemble in 1992 in the farm town of Jesup, Iowa, as one of the first ensembles involved in the Chamber Music America Rural Residency Program. The Quartet participated fully in the community, performing on countless occasions for audiences of six to 600 in a residency so successful that it was widely chronicled in the national and international media, including feature articles in The New York Times and The Strad, and in a segment on CBS Sunday Morning.

The Ying Quartet’s reputation for “instinctive unanimity” (Philadelphia Inquirer) and “astonishing, refreshing exaltation and exhilaration” (Los Angeles Times) is matched by its unparalleled success in making creative connections between chamber music and other art forms in ways that have great public appeal.

The quartet won recognition for its exceptional musical qualities when it was honored with the 1993 Naumburg Chamber Music Award. Subsequently, the Yings have established an international reputation for excellence in performance with appearances in virtually every major American city. In 2005, they collaborated with the Turtle Island Quartet for their GRAMMY Award-winning 4+Four (Best Classical Crossover Album).

As Quartet in Residence at the Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester, the Ying Quartet plans and directs a rigorous, sequential chamber music curriculum. The Quartet has also taught at Northwestern University and at the Interlochen and Brevard Music Festivals. Since 2001, the members of the quartet have been the Blodgett Artists-in-Residence at Harvard University.