Beethoven: Complete String Quartets, Vol. 2 – The Middle Quartets Dover Quartet

• Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827): String Quartet No. 7 in F Major, Op. 59 No. 1 "Razumovsky":
• 1 Beethoven: String Quartet No. 7 in F Major, Op. 59 No. 1 "Razumovsky": I. Allegro 10:09
• 2 Beethoven: String Quartet No. 7 in F Major, Op. 59 No. 1 "Razumovsky": II. Allegretto vivace e sempre scherzando 08:55
• 3 Beethoven: String Quartet No. 7 in F Major, Op. 59 No. 1 "Razumovsky": III. Adagio molto e mesto 12:12
• 4 Beethoven: String Quartet No. 7 in F Major, Op. 59 No. 1 "Razumovsky": IV. Thème russe. Allegro 07:40
• String Quartet No. 8 in E Minor, Op. 59 No. 2 "Razumovsky":
• 5 Beethoven: String Quartet No. 8 in E Minor, Op. 59 No. 2 "Razumovsky": I. Allegro 09:03
• 6 Beethoven: String Quartet No. 8 in E Minor, Op. 59 No. 2 "Razumovsky": II. Molto adagio 12:15
• 7 Beethoven: String Quartet No. 8 in E Minor, Op. 59 No. 2 "Razumovsky": III. Allegretto 06:45
• 8 Beethoven: String Quartet No. 8 in E Minor, Op. 59 No. 2 "Razumovsky": IV. Finale. Presto 05:20
• String Quartet No. 9 in C Major, Op. 59 No. 3 "Razumovsky":
• 9 Beethoven: String Quartet No. 9 in C Major, Op. 59 No. 3 "Razumovsky": I. Introduzione 10:44
• 10 Beethoven: String Quartet No. 9 in C Major, Op. 59 No. 3 "Razumovsky": II. Andante con moto quasi allegretto 08:55
• 11 Beethoven: String Quartet No. 9 in C Major, Op. 59 No. 3 "Razumovsky": III. Menuetto 05:26
• 12 Beethoven: String Quartet No. 9 in C Major, Op. 59 No. 3 "Razumovsky": IV. Allegro molto 05:26
• String Quartet No. 10 in E-Flat Major, Op. 74 "Harp":
• 13 Beethoven: String Quartet No. 10 in E-Flat Major, Op. 74 "Harp": I. Poco adagio - Allegro 09:29
• 14 Beethoven: String Quartet No. 10 in E-Flat Major, Op. 74 "Harp": II. Adagio ma non troppo 09:31
• 15 Beethoven: String Quartet No. 10 in E-Flat Major, Op. 74 "Harp": III. Presto 04:55
• 16 Beethoven: String Quartet No. 10 in E-Flat Major, Op. 74 "Harp": IV. Allegretto con variazioni 06:57
• String Quartet No. 11 in F Minor, Op. 95 "Serioso":
• 17 Beethoven: String Quartet No. 11 in F Minor, Op. 95 "Serioso": I. Allegro con brio 04:10
• 18 Beethoven: String Quartet No. 11 in F Minor, Op. 95 "Serioso": II. Allegretto ma non troppo 06:45
• 19 Beethoven: String Quartet No. 11 in F Minor, Op. 95 "Serioso": III. Allegro assai vivace ma serioso 04:23
• 20 Beethoven: String Quartet No. 11 in F Minor, Op. 95 "Serioso": IV. Larghetto espressivo - Allegretto agitato 04:24
• Total Runtime 02:33:24

Info for Beethoven: Complete String Quartets, Vol. 2 – The Middle Quartets

The Dover Quartet, “the young American string quartet of the moment” (The New Yorker) unveils the second installment in its critically acclaimed Beethoven quartet cycle on Cedille Records.

The Dover’s three-disc set of Beethoven’s “Middle Quartets” includes the three Op. 59 “Razumovsky” Quartets, infused with Russian folk tunes; the graceful “Harp,” Op. 74, named for its plucked string figures; and the intense Op. 95 “Serioso,” a forward-looking experiment that Beethoven originally intended “for a small circle of connoisseurs.”

The Dover Quartet’s first Beethoven release, a traversal of the Op. 18 quartets, has garnered international praise. England’s The Strad said the ensemble exhibits “a beguiling freshness and spontaneity that creates the impression of these relatively early masterworks arriving hot off the press.” Toronto’s The Whole Note cited “performances of conviction and depth. This promises to be an outstanding set.” Utah-based CD Hotlist remarked, “The Dovers stand out from the pack by playing with utterly perfect intonation, a near-telepathic sense of ensemble, and a lovely balance of passion and clarity.” New York’s WQXR proclaimed, “It’s hard to imagine a group better suited to recording these works than the Dover Quartet.”

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.

Booklet for Beethoven: Complete String Quartets, Vol. 2 – The Middle Quartets