Product descriptionIf there is one Swedish composer in the early 20th century who in some way can compare with Sibelius and Nielsen, it is Wilhelm Stenhammar - incidentally a personal friend of both these towering figures in Nordic music. And in Stenhammar's production - which includes songs, piano music and large-scale orchestral works - his string quartets form a special chapter. The seven quartets (of which one, in F minor, was withdrawn by the composer soon after its first performance) were written over the space of 22 years, and mirror Stenhammar's development, from full-blown Romanticism to a more sparse and formally concentrated idiom. As a pianist, Stenhammar worked closely for many years with the Aulin Quartet, the finest Swedish string quartet of its time. (It was the Aulin Quartet that gave the first performances of all Stenhammar's quartets up to and including No.4 in A minor, Op.25.) His familiarity with the medium is evident in these works which have been described as 'the most important written between those of Brahms and Bartok', but which still remain less well-known internationally than they deserve. In a bid to change this, the Stenhammar Quartet here present the first disc in a trilogy which will include the six quartets published during the composer's *, as well as the F minor quartet - for the first time on disc - and other music for string quartet. Making its first appearance on BIS, the Stenhammar Quartet was formed in 2002 and has made a name for itself in Sweden and internationally as interpreters of Stenhammar's music, as well as of core repertoire and contemporary works.Review'Both Quartet No. 3 & 4 are excellently recorded. This is music not just for Nordic specialists and should be investigated.' --Gramophone, November 2013'With beautifully rich recorded sound, this volume makes a very strong case for the two quartets and the eponymous Stenhammar Quartet plays with rapt devotion and splendid tone.' --MusicWeb International'Three cheers for this first volume in a complete survey from BIS of string quartets (seven in all) by that underrated Swedish figure, Wilhelm Stenhammar...The Stenhammar Quartet lend outstandingly eloquent advocacy to this rewarding material and they have been recorded with breathtaking realism. Roll on the next instalment!' ***** --Classical Ear, Andrew Achenbach'This beautifully engineered release from the eponymous Stenhammar Quartet is the first in a complete survey. The players rejoice in the composer's Brahmsian lyrical tendency (as witness the glorious opening Quasi andante of no.3) without in any way undermining its Beethovenian musical thinking. When the latter is at its most overt, as in the Presto molto agitato second movement (a virtual rethink of the 'Harp' Quartet's scherzo), they capture the music's thrusting restlessness with rapier-like precision.' --The Strad, October 2013
