Chapí: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2 Cuarteto Latinoamericano

• Ruperto Chapí (1851-1909): Quartet No. 1
• 1 I. Allegro moderato 08:38
• 2 II. Andante mosso 06:32
• 3 III. Allegro molto vivace 08:11
• 4 IV. Moderato 13:15
• Quartet No. 2
• 5 I. Allegro moderato 09:03
• 6 II. Allegretto 10:51
• 7 III. Allegro molto vivace 06:28
• 8 IV. Quasi presto 08:16
• Total Runtime 01:11:14

Info for Chapí: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2

The history of the string quartet genre in Spain arguably begins with the luminous and crisp quartets by Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805), a composer who was Italian by birth, but a Spaniard in heart, spirit and language. Half a century later we would witness the three landmark quartets written by that prodigious and promising young comet called Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga (1806-1826). But since the tragic and untimely death of the “Spanish Mozart”, the creation of string quartets in Spain seemed to sink into a lethargy which would last until the beginnings of the 20th century.

During the year 1901, the Cuarteto Francés was formed in Madrid. This string quartet encouraged local composers to write quartets, several of which were premiered in its concerts. This initiative triggered the writing of the first Spanish Post-romantic masterpieces for quartet. Among them were the fourteen quartets by Conrado del Campo (himself a member of the Cuarteto Francés), the quartets by Tomás Bretón, the string quartet (“de la guitarra”) by Joaquín Turina and, of course, the four string quartets by Ruperto Chapí, by then a well established and successful composer who had never written any chamber music. The four quartets by Chapí burst like a fresh breeze in the Spanish chamber music landscape. Here is a composer who masterfully captures the Spanish character; the poise, the sincerity and above all, the simple joy of a nation that had suffered too much. Chapí brilliantly funnels the color and purely Spanish drama of the zarzuela into the almost abstract and Central European genre of the string quartet.

„The Cuarteto Latinoamericano plays with typical incisiveness and verve. However, the ensemble smartly tempers its trademark sharp sonority in a manner consistent with the music’s elegance and warmth, especially in the two slow-ish movements (Andante mosso and Allegretto, respectively). The truth is, there is very little actual slow music in these quartets. They quite literally seethe with energy, but the players differentiate and characterize each section notably well. Superb engineering from Sono Luminus captures every inflection with natural fidelity. A great release.“ ( David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com)

„The quartet's tone was subject to tremendous control and gradations, against which you could always hear the immaculate silvery threads of the first violin. Their performance was an elegant, laid-back miracle, throughly worked out, often with a wonderful sense of formality.“ (The Huffington Post)

„The Cuarteto Latinoamericano is a string quartet with exceptional drive, control and finesse.“ (Cincinnati Enquirer)

Álvaro Bitrán, cello
Arón Bitrán, violin
Saúl Bitrán, violin
Javier Montiel, viola

Cuarteto Latinoamericano
formed in 1982, is known worldwide as the leading proponent of Latin American music for string quartet. This award-winning ensemble from Mexico consists of the three Bitrán brothers, violinists Saúl and Arón and cellist Alvaro , along with violist Javier Montiel. The Cuarteto has recorded most of the Latin American repertoire for string quartet, and the sixth volume of their Villa-Lobos 17 quartets cycle, recorded for Dorian, was nominated for a Grammy award in 2002 in the field of Best Chamber Music Recording as well as for a Latin Grammy.

The Cuarteto has performed as soloist with many orchestras, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Esa-Pekka Salonen, the Seattle Symphony under Gerard Schwarz, with the National Arts Center Orchestra in Ottawa, the Orquesta Filarmónica de la Ciudad de México, the Dallas Symphony and the Símón Bolívar Orchestra of Venezuela. The Cuarteto has toured extensively around the world including performances in Europe and the Americas, as well as in New Zealand and Israel; they have appeared in a wide range of venues and festivals like the Concertgebouw, the Kennedy Center, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Dartmouth College, Cornell University, Dartington International Summer School and the Ojai Festival. They have collaborated with many artists including cellist Janos Starker, pianists Santiago Rodriguez, Cyprien Katsaris and Rudolph Buchbinder, tenor Ramon Vargas, and guitarists Narciso Yepes, Sharon Isbin, David Tanenbaum and Manuel Barrueco. With Mr. Barrueco, they have played in some of the most important venues of the USA and Europe, have recorded two cds, and commissioned guitar quintets from American composers Miguel del Aguila, Michael Daugherty and Gabriela Lena Frank.

The Cuarteto was in residence at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh from 1988 until 2008.

Under the auspices of the Sistema Nacional de Orquestas Juveniles of Venezuela, the Cuarteto has created the Latin American Academy for String Quartets, based in Caracas, which will serve as a training ground for five select young string quartets from the Sistema. The Cuarteto visits the Academy four times a year.

The Cuarteto has been awarded for the third consecutive time the México en Escena grant given by the Mexican government through FONCA (National Fund for Culture and the Arts) for the 2009/2011 period. The project revolves around the Bicentennial Celebrations of the Mexican independence and features Mexican music for string quartet from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries.

Booklet for Chapí: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2