Beethoven: Complete String Quartets, Vol. 1 Dover Quartet

• Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827): String Quartet No. 1 in F Major, Op. 18 No. 1:
• 1String Quartet No. 1 in F Major, Op. 18 No. 1: I. Allegro con brio09:40
• 2String Quartet No. 1 in F Major, Op. 18 No. 1: II. Adagio affettuoso ed appasionato09:02
• 3String Quartet No. 1 in F Major, Op. 18 No. 1: III. Scherzo. Allegro molto03:21
• 4String Quartet No. 1 in F Major, Op. 18 No. 1: IV. Allegro06:36
• String Quartet No. 2 in G Major, Op. 18 No. 2:
• 5String Quartet No. 2 in G Major, Op. 18 No. 2: I. Allegro07:46
• 6String Quartet No. 2 in G Major, Op. 18 No. 2: II. Adagio cantabile05:41
• 7String Quartet No. 2 in G Major, Op. 18 No. 2: III. Scherzo. Allegro04:26
• 8String Quartet No. 2 in G Major, Op. 18 No. 2: IV. Allegro molto, quasi presto05:30
• String Quartet No. 3 in D Major, Op. 18 No. 3:
• 9String Quartet No. 3 in D Major, Op. 18 No. 3: I. Allegro07:44
• 10String Quartet No. 3 in D Major, Op. 18 No. 3: II. Andante con moto07:49
• 11String Quartet No. 3 in D Major, Op. 18 No. 3: III. Allegro02:57
• 12String Quartet No. 3 in D Major, Op. 18 No. 3: IV. Presto06:16
• String Quartet No. 4 in C Minor, Op. 18 No. 4:
• 13String Quartet No. 4 in C Minor, Op. 18 No. 4: I. Allegro, ma non tanto08:27
• 14String Quartet No. 4 in C Minor, Op. 18 No. 4: II. Scherzo. Andante scherzoso quasi allegretto06:42
• 15String Quartet No. 4 in C Minor, Op. 18 No. 4: III. Minuet. Allegretto03:15
• 16String Quartet No. 4 in C Minor, Op. 18 No. 4: IV. Allegro04:36
• String Quartet No. 5 in A Major, Op. 18 No. 5:
• 17String Quartet No. 5 in A Major, Op. 18 No. 5: I. Allegro07:05
• 18String Quartet No. 5 in A Major, Op. 18 No. 5: II. Minuet05:04
• 19String Quartet No. 5 in A Major, Op. 18 No. 5: III. Andante cantabile con variazioni09:52
• 20String Quartet No. 5 in A Major, Op. 18 No. 5: IV. Allegro06:18
• String Quartet No. 6 in B-Flat Major, Op. 18 No. 6:
• 21String Quartet No. 6 in B-Flat Major, Op. 18 No. 6: I. Allegro con brio05:53
• 22String Quartet No. 6 in B-Flat Major, Op. 18 No. 6: II. Adagio, ma non troppo08:07
• 23String Quartet No. 6 in B-Flat Major, Op. 18 No. 6: III. Scherzo. Allegro03:08
• 24String Quartet No. 6 in B-Flat Major, Op. 18 No. 6: IV. La malinconia. Adagio - V. Allegretto quasi allegro08:14
• Total Runtime02:33:29

Info for Beethoven: Complete String Quartets, Vol. 1

The Dover Quartet, “the young American string quartet of the moment” (The New Yorker), launches its emerging, three-volume complete Beethoven quartet cycle with the six Opus 18 quartets, often cited as the epitome of the classical string quartet as developed by Haydn and Mozart while foreshadowing Beethoven’s future innovations.

In concert, the quartet has presented three complete Beethoven cycles, including the University at Buffalo’s renowned “Slee Cycle” — which has offered annual Beethoven quartet cycles since 1955 and has featured the likes of the Budapest, Guarneri, and Cleveland Quartets. The Dover is featuring Beethoven’s Quartet in G major, Op. 18, No. 2, in its 2020–2021 season programming.

The Dover Quartets recording of Mozarts final string quartets K. 589 and K. 590 plus his string quintet K. 406 (with Guarneri Quartet violist Michael Tree) on Cedille Records, an homage to their Guarneri Quartet mentors, was hailed by the Sunday Times of London as a deeply affecting debut disc performed with surpassing beauty, a glorious timbral richness governed by what feels a continuous thoughtfulness. Quartet-in-residence at Northwestern Universitys Bienen School of Music, the Dover is also the first-ever quartet-in-residence for the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., among other prestigious posts. The Washington Post proclaimed, Lovers of chamber music should put the Dover Quartet on their to-hear list.

Dover Quartet

The Dover Quartet
catapulted to international stardom following a stunning sweep of the 2013 Banff International String Quartet Competition, becoming one of the most in-demand ensembles in the world. The New Yorker recently dubbed them “the young American string quartet of the moment,” and The Strad raved that the Quartet is “already pulling away from their peers with their exceptional interpretive maturity, tonal refinement and taut ensemble.” In 2013-14, the Quartet was the first ever Quartet-in-Residence for the venerated Curtis Institute of Music, and is now faculty Quartet-in-Residence at Northwestern University's Bienen School of Music.

In addition to winning the Grand Prize and all three Special Prizes at the 2013 Banff International String Quartet Competition, the Dover Quartet has continued to receive accolades: in 2015 it was announced that the group had been awarded the highly prestigious Cleveland Quartet Award, and shortly thereafter, Lincoln Center awarded the quartet the annual Hunt Family Award, as part of the organization's Emerging Artist Awards. In its early years, the quartet also won grand prize at the Fischoff Competition, and special prizes at the Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition.

During the 2015-16 season, the Dover Quartet will perform more than 120 concerts throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and the Middle East. Highlights include the group's debut at Carnegie Hall, and several residencies including those at Dumbarton Oaks, Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival, and People's Symphony Concerts in New York. 2016 also includes the quartet's first tour of Israel, and the recording of three albums, to be released beginning next fall. The group regularly appears with acclaimed collaborators, and this season these will include such artists as Anthony McGill, David Shifrin, Anne-Marie McDermott, Avi Avital, and Edgar Meyer. The collaborations with Avi and Edgar will include extensive tours together next season.

The Dover Quartet participates regularly in some of the continent's most reputable summer festivals, including Chamber Music Northwest, Artosphere, Bravo Vail, and the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, and are active proponents of new music: this season included a premier of Pulitzer-Prize winning Caroline Shaw's new quartet at Dumbarton Oaks, and next season will include the premieres of multiple commissions, including works from Richard Danielpour and Michael Djupstrom.

The Dover Quartet was formed in 2008 at the Curtis Institute of Music, and continued their studies as Graduate Quartet-in-Residence at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music from 2011-13. Because of the exceptional faculty at both of these institutions, the group draws from the musical lineage of the Cleveland, Vermeer, Concord, and Guarneri Quartets. The Quartet has been mentored extensively by Shmuel Ashkenasi, James Dunham, Norman Fischer, Kenneth Goldsmith, Joseph Silverstein, Arnold Steinhardt, Michael Tree, and Peter Wiley, and is dedicated to sharing their music with underserved communities and is an active member of Music for Food, an initiative to help musicians fight hunger in their home communities.

This album contains no booklet.