Heggie / Scheer: Here and After Alexander String Quartet

• Jake Heggie (1961): Camille Claudel: Into the Fire
• 1No. 1. Prelude - Awakening - Rodin05:45
• 2No. 2. La valse04:53
• 3No. 3. Shakuntala05:16
• 4No. 4. La petite chatelaine04:47
• 5No. 5. The Gossips04:30
• 6No. 6. L'age mur03:12
• 7No. 7. Epilogue - Jessie Lipscomb Visits Camille Claudel, Montdevergues Asylum, 192904:54
• Gene Scheer (1958): Pieces of 9/11
• 8No. 1. Prelude - Lauren06:04
• 9No. 2. Lessons05:17
• 10No. 3. Phone Calls03:07
• 11No. 4. That Moment On05:36
• 12No. 5. Beyond04:07
• 13No. 6. An Open Book05:18
• Jake Heggie: Soliloquy
• 14Soliloquy04:28
• Jake Heggie: Friendly Persuasions (Songs in Homage to Poulenc)
• 15No. 1. Wanda Landowska02:33
• 16No. 2. Pierre Bernac01:58
• 17No. 3. Raymonde Linossier04:17
• 18No. 4. Paul Eluard02:33
• Jake Heggie: Rise and Fall
• 19No. 1. Water Stone (Noguchi)04:23
• 20No. 2. Incantation Bowl03:51
• 21No. 3. Angels' Wing04:12
• 22No. 4. The Shaman04:35
• Jake Heggie: A Question of Light
• 23No. 1. The Light of Coincidences (Magritte)02:53
• 24No. 2. Eccentric Flint (Ancient Maya)02:21
• 25No. 3. Yellow Roses in a Vase (Caillebotte)04:26
• 26No. 4. Place de la Concorde (Mondrian)02:05
• 27No. 5. El hombre (Tamayo)04:07
• 28No. 5. Watch (Murphy)04:06
• Jake Heggie: Fury of Light
• 29I. Fast04:46
• 30II. Elegy04:03
• 31III. Meditation03:02
• 32IV. Very Fast03:48
• Total Runtime02:11:13

Info for Heggie / Scheer: Here and After

Here/After is a collection of recent music by Jake Heggie, acclaimed as the finest American art song composer of his generation, in collaboration with librettist and Grammy Award nominee Gene Scheer.

In this extraordinary recording, the words and memories of fire fighters, emergency workers, teachers, parents, friends and other survivors of the 9/11 attacks are transformed into heart-breaking and uplifting songs of remembrance. This double album features the voices of baritone Nathan Gunn, mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato and soprano Talise Trevigne.

“Finally, the first piece on the recording and certainly to my mind the greatest, is ‘Camille Claudel: Into the Fire.’ … The piece is riveting from start to finish, composed for the 30th anniversary of the Alexander String Quartet, and for Joyce DiDonato, whose singing is simply ravishing, some of the best I have ever heard from her vast recorded legacy. The music for the quartet has flavors of Debussy’s own work for that medium, and the rhythmic elements and hearty tonal melodic contours make for an enthralling experience that must be heard.” (Steven Ritter, Audiophile Audition)

“Heggie certainly knows the strengths of his artists. The beautiful cycle about sculptress Camille Claudel, recorded six months after its premiere, reveals how more nuanced and deeply felt DiDonato’s interpretation has grown with the passage of time. Its third movement, “Shakuntala,” manages to showcase her rare coloratura facility and perfect trills without once sounding showy. The pathos of ‘La Petite Châtelaine’ is profoundly moving, thanks in part to the tremolo strings of the Alexanders. All forces excel in “The Gossips,” where the quartet’s churning strings speak volumes. …it’s likely you’ll hit “repeat,” because repeated listening is what you’ll most likely do when savoring the depth and mystery of these wonderful works.” (Jason Victor Serinus, San Francisco Classical Voice)

Joyce DiDonato, mezzo (on Camille Claudel: Into the Fire)
Talise Trevigne, soprano (on Pieces of 9/11, Rise and Fall)
Ekaterina Gorlova, soprano (on Pieces of 9/11)
Ashley Traughbet, soprano (on Pieces of 9/11)
Nathan Gunn, baritone (on Pieces of 9/11, A Question of Light)
Dawn Walker, flute (on Pieces of 9/11)
Dawn Harms, violin (on Pieces of 9/11)
Marc Teicholz, guitar (on Pieces of 9/11)
Emil Miland, cello (on Pieces of 9/11)
Carol Wincenc, flute (on Soliloquy, Homage to Poulenc, Fury of Light)
Jake Heggie, piano (on Soliloquy)
Stephen Costello, tenor (on Homage to Poulenc)
Jose Gonvalez Granero, clarinet (on Homage to Poulenc)
The Alexander String Quartet

The Alexander String Quartet
has performed in the major music capitals of five continents, securing its standing among the world’s premier ensembles over three decades. Widely admired for its interpretations of Beethoven, Mozart, and Shostakovich, the Quartet has also established itself as an important advocate of new music through over 25 commissions and numerous premiere performances.

The many distinguished artists to collaborate with the Alexander String Quartet include pianists Menahem Pressler, Gary Graffman, Roger Woodward, Jeremy Menuhin, and Joyce Yang; clarinetists Eli Eban, Charles Neidich, Joan Enric Lluna, and Richard Stolzman; cellists Lynn Harrell, Sadao Harada, and David Requiro; violist Toby Appel; and soprano Elly Ameling. Among the quartet’s more unusual collaborations has been numerous performances of Eddie Sauter’s seminal Third Stream work, Focus, in collaboration with Branford Marsalis, David Sánchez, and Andrew Speight.

Over the past decade the Alexander String Quartet has added considerably to its distinguished and wide-ranging discography. Currently recording exclusively for the FoghornClassics label, the Alexander’s most recent release (June 2009) is a complete Beethoven cycle. Music Web International has described the performances on this new Beethoven set as “uncompromising in their power, intensity and spiritual depth,” while Strings Magazine described the set as “a landmark journey through the greatest of all quartet cycles.”

Highlights of the 2010–2011 season include a two multiple concert series for San Francisco Performances, one presenting the complete quartets of Bartók and Kodály and the other music of Dvořák; the conclusion of a Beethoven cycle for Mondavi Center; and a continuing annual series at Baruch College in New York City. The quartet also performs an all-Beethoven program at the Lied Center of Kansas, two tours of Spain (including the inaugural performances of a new festival in Godella), and a second tour of Argentina. They also continue their annual residencies at Allegheny College, Lewis & Clark College, and St. Lawrence University.

The Alexander String Quartet was formed in New York City in 1981 and the following year became the first string quartet to win the Concert Artists Guild Competition. In 1985, the quartet captured international attention as the first American quartet to win the London International String Quartet Competition, receiving both the jury’s highest award and the Audience Prize.

The Quartet is a major artistic presence in its home base of San Francisco, serving there as directors of the Morrison Chamber Music Center at the School of Music and Dance in the College of Creative Arts at San Francisco State University and Ensemble in Residence of San Francisco Performances.

The Alexander String Quartet performs on the Ellen M. Egger Quartet of instruments, built in 1987 by the American maker Francis Kuttner.

This album contains no booklet.