..
.

b i o g r a p h y
s c h e d u l e
d i s c o g r a p h y
r e v i e w s
w e b s i t e


---> write to Manager

Fine Arts Quartet



b i o g r a p h y...........back to roster....up

January 2011

Ralph Evans, first violin
Efim Boico, second violin
Nicolò Eugelmi, viola
Wolfgang Laufer, cello

The Fine Arts Quartet, now celebrating its 65th anniversary, is one of the most distinguished ensembles in chamber music today, with an illustrious history of performing success and an extensive recording legacy. Founded in Chicago in 1946, and based at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee since 1963, the Quartet is one of the elite few to have recorded and toured internationally for over half a century. Three of the Quartet's current artists, violinists Ralph Evans, Efim Boico, and cellist Wolfgang Laufer, have now been performing together for nearly 30 years. Violist Nicolò Eugelmi joined the Quartet in 2009. Each season, the Fine Arts Quartet tours worldwide, with concerts in such musical centers as New York, London, Paris, Berlin, Rome, Madrid, Moscow, Tokyo, Beijing, Istanbul, Jerusalem, Mexico City, and Toronto.

The Quartet has recorded more than 200 works, over 80 of them with Evans, Boico, and Laufer. Their latest releases on Naxos include: the two Saint-Saëns String Quartets, three Beethoven String Quintets; the Franck String Quartet and Piano Quintet; Fauré Piano Quintets; complete Bruckner chamber music; complete Mendelssohn String Quintets; "Four American Quartets" by Antheil, Herrmann, Glass, Evans; complete Schumann Quartets; and the Glazunov String Quintet and Novelettes. Aulos Musikado released their complete Dohnányi String Quartets and Piano Quintets, and Lyrinx released both their complete early Beethoven Quartets and complete Mozart String Quintets in SACD format. Releases planned for 2011-12 on Naxos include the world premiere recording of Efrem Zimbalist's Quartet in its 1959 revised edition, the world premiere digital recording of Eugène Ysaÿe's long-lost masterpiece for quartet and string orchestra, "Harmonies du Soir"; Fritz Kreisler's String Quartet; and three of Robert Schumann's greatest chamber works: the Piano Quintet, Piano Quartet, and Märchenerzählungen.

The Quartet's recent recordings have received many distinctions. Their Fauré Quintets CD on Naxos with pianist Cristina Ortiz was singled out by the 2011 Gramophone Classical Music Guide as a "Gramophone award-winner and recording of legendary status", and was among the recordings for which musical producer Steven Epstein won a 2009 Grammy® Award ("Producer of the Year, Classical"). The Quartet's Franck CD was named "Editor's Choice" by Gramophone Magazine in February, 2010, and their Glazunov, Mendelssohn, and Fauré CD's were each named a "Recording of the Year" by Musicweb International (2007-2009). In addition, their "Four American Quartets" album was designated a "BBC Music Magazine Choice" in 2008, their Schumann CD was named "one of the very finest chamber music recordings of the year" by the American Record Guide in 2007, and their Mozart Quintets SACD box set was named a "Critic's Choice 2003" by the American Record Guide. Nearly all of the Quartet's Naxos CDs were selected for Grammy® Awards entry lists in the "Best Classical Album" and/or "Best Chamber Music Performance" categories. Special recognition was given for the Quartet's commitment to contemporary music: a 2003-2004 national CMA/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming, given jointly by Chamber Music America and the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers.

The Quartet members have helped form and nurture many of today's top international young ensembles. They have been guest professors at the national music conservatories of Paris and Lyon, as well as at the summer music schools of Yale University and Indiana University. They also appear regularly as jury members of major competitions such as Evian, Shostakovich, and Bordeaux. Documentaries on the Fine Arts Quartet have appeared on both French and American Public Television.


b i o....s c h e d u l e....d i s c o g r a p h y....r e v i e w s

back to roster...up

.

.

.

.




.

s c h e d u l e...........back to roster....up

2011

Nov 28 Berlin (Philharmonie)

Nov 25 Dijon

Nov 21 Clermont-Ferrand

Nov 20 Heerlen

Nov 18 Amsterdam (Concertgebouw): Mozart Quartet KV 465, Herrmann Echoes, Brahms Piano Quintet (w/ Menachem Pressler)

Nov 17 Leiden

Nov 16 Amsterdam (Concertgebouw): Mozart Quartet KV 421, Herrmann Echoes (1965), Grieg Quartet

Nov 15 Eindhoven

Nov 06 Milwaukee (UWM)

Oct 16 Brookfield (Wilson Center)

Oct 12 Milwaukee (Catholic Home)

Sep 25 Milwaukee (UWM)

Sep 24 Cedarburg, WI

Sep 16 Bucharest (George Enescu Festival): Haydn Quartet Op.77-1, Schumann Quartet Op.41-1, Enescu Piano Quintet (w/ A. Costin)

Sep 14 Timisoara (George Enescu Festival): Haydn Quartet Op.77-1, Schumann Quartet Op.41-1, Glazunov Cello Quintet (w/A. Gutu)

Sep 10 Geneva

Sep 08 Sion

July 31- Aug 15 Festival Pablo Casals de Prades:

Jul 25 Guillestre

Jul 23 Festival des Arcs

Jul 22 Festival des Arcs

Jul 21 Festival des Arcs

Jul 07-13 Amalfi Coast Music Festival:

Jul 05 Ottawa Music and Beyond Festival

Jul 02 Green Lake Festival of Music: Haydn String Quintet (Op.88), Verdi Quartet, Mozart String Quintet K.515 (w/ Anthea Kreston)

Jun 29 Milwaukee (UWM): Michael Haydn String Quintet (Op.88), Verdi Quartet, Mozart String Quintet K.515 (w/ Anthea Kreston)

Jun 22 Milwaukee (UWM): Dvorak String Quintet Op.77 (w/ Andrew Raciti), Brahms String Quartet Op.51-2

Jun 19 Naantali Music Festival: Schubert Cello Quintet (w/ Arto Noras), Vivaldi La Tempesta di Mare

Jun 18 Naantali Music Festival: Wolf Italian Serenade

Jun 17 Naantali Music Festival: Aulis Sallinen Quartet No.5 (1983) "Pieces of Mosaic"

Jun 16 Naantali Music Festival: Turina Las Musas de Andalucia

Jun 13 Naantali Music Festival: Schubert Rondo, Chausson Concerto Op. 21

Jun 11 Naantali Music Festival: Vivaldi Seasons (L'estate)

Jun 10 Naantali Music Festival: Schubert Quartet (Death and the Maiden)

Jun 05 Milwaukee (UWM): Wolf Italian Serenade, Puccini Crisantemi, Turina Las Musas Op.93, Enescu Piano Quintet (w/ A. Costin)

Jun 01 Milwaukee (UWM): Chausson Concerto (w/ I. Setapen and X.Wang), Schubert Quartet (Death and the Maiden)

May 25 Milwaukee (Jewish Museum):

Apr 13 Bydgoszcz: Beethoven Quartet Op.18-1, Bernard Herrmann: Echoes (1965), Schubert Quartet (Death and the Maiden)

Apr 11 Warsaw: Bruckner Intermezzo, Mozart String Quintet K.593, Beethoven String Quintet Op.29 (w/ Danilo Rossi)

Apr 10 Białystok: Bruckner Intermezzo, Mozart String Quintet K.593, Beethoven String Quintet Op.29 (w/ Danilo Rossi)

Apr 07-09 Warsaw: master classes

Apr 06 Cracow: Bruckner Intermezzo, Mozart String Quintet K.593, Beethoven String Quintet Op.29 (w/ Danilo Rossi)

Mar 30 Madrid: Hugo Wolf Quartet in D Minor, Bruckner Quintet (w/ Gil Sharon)

Mar 27 Monte Carlo: Schumann String Quartets Op.41-1 and Op.41-2

Mar 19 Liverpool: Beethoven Quartet Op.18-1, Glass Quartet No.2, Grieg Quartet

Mar 15 London (Royal College of Music):

Mar 14 London (Royal College of Music): master classes

Mar 13 Oxford (UK): Bruckner Intermezzo, Mozart Quintet K.593, Mendelssohn String Quintet No.2 (w/ Toby Hoffman)

Mar 06 Milwaukee (UWM): Hugo Wolf Quartet in D Minor, Schumann Quartet Op.41-2

Feb 06 Milwaukee (UWM): Haydn Op.71-2, Aulis Sallinen Quartet No.5 (1983), Bruckner Quintet (w/ Paul Neubauer)

Jan 23 Sochaux: Beethoven Quartet Op.59-3, Schubert Trout Quintet (w/ Michaël Levinas, Jurek Dybal )

Jan 21 Lille: Beethoven Quartet Op.59-3, Schubert Trout Quintet (w/ Michaël Levinas, Jurek Dybal)

2010

Dec 13-16 New York: Schumann Piano Quintet, Piano Quartet, and Trio Op.132 (w/ Xiayin Wang) recorded for the Naxos label

Nov 23 New York (Tully Hall): Schumann Piano Quintet, Earl Wild Piano Sonata (2000), Franck Piano Quintet (w/ Xiayin Wang)

Nov 20 Drew University (Madison, NJ): Schumann Piano Quintet, Earl Wild Sonata (2000), Franck Piano Quintet (w/ Xiayin Wang)

Nov 17 Milwaukee (Jewish Museum): Glazunov Novelettes (Valse, Interludium, Orientale), Beethoven Quartet Op.59-3

Nov 14 Milwaukee (UWM): Schumann Trio, Op.132, Schumann Piano Quartet Op.47, Franck Piano Quintet (w/ Xiayin Wang)

Nov 11 Milwaukee (Catholic Home): Schumann Trio, Op.132, Schumann Piano Quartet Op.47 (w/ Xiayin Wang)

Oct 11 Rostov: Haydn Quartet Op.77-1, Glazunov Cello Quintet (with Dominique de Williencourt)

Oct 09 Volgograd: Mozart Quartet KV 465, Mendelssohn Quartet Op.44-1

Oct 07 Samara: Beethoven Quartet Op.18-1, Glazunov Five Novelettes

Oct 04 Nijni Novgorod: Schumann Quartet Op.41-1

Oct 01 Moscow: Schumann Piano Quintet (with Ludmila Berlinskaia)

Oct 01-12 Russian River Musical Cruise (Moscow, Ouglitch, Kostroma, Nijni Novgorod, Tcheboksary, Kazan, Samara, Saratov,Volgograd, Rostov na Donu)

Sep 29 St. Petersburg: Haydn Op.77-1, Bruckner Quartet, Glass No.2, Schumann Quartet Op.41-1

Sep 28 St. Petersburg: Tishchenko Quartet No.5 (1984), Sibelius Quartet, Op. 56 ("Voces Intimae")

Sep 26 Paris (Théâtre des Champs-élysées): Dvořák Piano Quintet, Chopin Concerto No.2 (w/ Sunwook Kim)

Sep 23 Hamburg: Mozart Quartet KV 465, Schumann Quartet Op.41-1, Glazunov String Quintet, Op.39 (w/ Niklas Schmidt)

Sep 19 Copenhagen: Haydn Quartet Op.77-1, Shostakovich Quartet No.1, Franck Piano Quintet (w/ Cristina Ortiz)

Sep 12 Milwaukee (UWM): Mozart Quartet KV 465, Tishchenko Quartet No.5 (1984), Sibelius Quartet, Op.56 ("Voces Intimae")

Aug 19 Festival du Périgord Noir: Chausson Chanson perpétuelle, Op.37, Saint-Saëns Quartet No.2, Fauré Quintet No.2 (w/ C. Huvé)

Aug 12-15 Academia Internacional de Musica de Solsona (Spain) : Master Classes

Aug 11 Academia Intl. de Musica de Solsona: Shostakovich No.7, Glazunov 5 Novelettes, Schumann Quintet (w/ Seon-hee Myong)

Aug 05 Festival Musicales Internationales Guil Durance: Beethoven Op.18-1, Shostakovich No.1, Chopin Conc No.2 (w/ Neuburger)

Aug 04 Festival Musicales Internationales Guil Durance: Mozart KV 465, Rachmaninoff Quartet No.1, Schumann Quartet Op.41-1

Aug 02 Nuits Musicales de Mazaugues: Haydn Op.77-1, Mozart KV 465, Mozart Clarinet Quintet (w/ Pascal Moraguès)

Jul 28 Fêtes Musicales de Savoie (St. Martin-de-Belleville): Mozart KV 465, Rachmaninoff Quartet No.1, Schumann Quartet Op.41-1

Jul 23 Rouffach: Le Festival de Musique de Musicalta: Haydn Op.77-1, Glass No.2, Schumann Quintet (w/ Jean-Frédéric Neuburger)

Jul 20 Festival Internacional de Música da Póvoa de Varzim: Master Class

Jul 19 Festival Internacional de Música da Póvoa de Varzim (Portugal): Haydn Op.77-1, Shostakovich No.7, Franck Quintet (w/ Ortiz)

Jul 15 Capri: Mozart String Quintet KV 593, Brahms Sextet No.1 (w/ Danilo Rossi, Simonpietro Cussino)

Jul 12 Amalfi Coast Music Festival: Mozart String Quintet KV 593, Brahms Sextet No.1 (w/ D. Rossi, S. Cussino)

Jul 09 Amalfi Coast Music Festival: All-Schumann: Trio, Op.132; Piano Quartet, Op.47; Piano Quintet Op.44 (w/ F. & G. Witkowski)

Jul 05-12 Amalfi Coast Music Festival: Chamber Music Workshop

July 04 Lille: Schumann Quartet Op.41-1, Dohnányi Sextet, Op.37 (w/ O. Moulin, C. Michiels, D. Simándy)

June 27: Milwaukee (UWM): Beethoven Quartet Op.18-1, Glass Quartet No.2, Schumann Quartet Op.41-1

June 20: Milwaukee (UWM): Chausson Chanson perpétuelle, Schumann Symphonic Etudes, Dohnányi Quintet No.1 (w/ Williams, Chi)

June 13: Milwaukee (UWM): Mozart Piano Quartet No.1, Schumann Fantasiestücke, Dohnányi Sextet (w/ Polonsky, Messina, Flint)

June 06: Milwaukee (UWM): Schumann Waldszenen, Glazunov Five Novelettes, Brahms Piano Quintet (w/ Christopher Taylor)

May 13 Festival aux Chandelles: Shostakovich Quartet No.7, Mozart Clarinet Quintet (w/ Patrick Messina), Grieg Quartet

May 09 Schlosshotel Bühlerhöhe: Beethoven Quartet Op.18-5, Rachmaninoff Quartet No.1, Grieg Quartet

May 03 Luxembourg: Beethoven Quartet Op.18-5, Shostakovich Quartet No.7, Franck Piano Quintet (w/ Jean Muller)

Apr 26-30 Zimbalist Quartet, Kreisler Quartet, and Ysaÿe´s Harmonies du Soir recorded for Naxos

Apr 25 London: Haydn Quartet Op.77-1, Antheil Quartet No.3, Franck Quartet

Apr 24 Bath (UK): Haydn Quartet Op.77-1, Antheil Quartet No.3, Franck Quartet

Apr 21 Bilbao: Arriaga Quartet No.1, Rachmaninoff Quartet No.1, Grieg Quartet

Apr 20 Valencia (Spain): Arriaga Quartet No.1, Rachmaninoff Quartet No.1, Grieg Quartet

Apr 11 Milwaukee (UWM): Antheil Quartet No.3, Zimbalist Quartet in E Minor, Franck Quartet

Mar 21 Milwaukee (Jewish Museum): Antheil Quartet No.3, Efrem Zimbalist Quartet in E Minor

Mar 04 Milwaukee (Medical College)

Feb 07 Milwaukee (UWM): Haydn Quartet Op.77-1, Rachmaninoff Quartet No.1, Fritz Kreisler Quartet in A Minor

Feb 03 Milwaukee UWM Benefit Concert for Haiti



b i o....s c h e d u l e....d i s c o g r a p h y....r e v i e w s

back to roster...up


.

.

.

.


.

d i s c o g r a p h y...........back to roster....up

Antheil Quartet No.3, Naxos CD 8.559354 (rec 2007)

Beethoven Quartet Op.18, No.1, Lyrinx CD LYR 2254, Super Audio CD format (rec 2005)

Beethoven Quartet Op.18, No.2, Lyrinx CD LYR 2254, Super Audio CD format (rec 2005)

Beethoven Quartet Op.18, No.3, Lyrinx CD LYR 2254, Super Audio CD format (rec 2005)

Beethoven Quartet Op.18, No.4, Lyrinx CD LYR 2254, Super Audio CD format (rec 2005)

Beethoven Quartet Op.18, No.4, Saga Records (London), (rec 1985) unreleased

Beethoven Quartet Op.18, No.5, Lyrinx CD LYR 2254, Super Audio CD format (rec 2005)

Beethoven Quartet Op.18, No.6, Lyrinx CD LYR 2254, Super Audio CD format (rec 2005)

Beethoven Quartet Op.59, No.3, Lodia (Geneva) CD 7701 (rec 1986) POP

Beethoven Quartet Op.130 (rec 2000 live) Festival de Radio France et Montpellier 2000/ film de Gilles Le Mao video

Beethoven String Quintet, Op.29 (w/ Gil Sharon), Naxos CD 8.572221 (rec 2008)

Beethoven String Quintet, Op.104 (w/ Gil Sharon), Naxos CD 8.572221 (rec 2008)

Beethoven String Quintet, Op.137 (w/ Gil Sharon), Naxos CD 8.572221 (rec 2008)

Borodin String Quartet No.2 (rec 1990 live) commercial video

Bruckner Intermezzo (w/ Gil Sharon), Naxos CD 8.570788 (rec 2007)

Bruckner Quartet in C Minor, Naxos CD 8.570788 (rec 2007)

Bruckner Rondo in C Minor, Naxos CD 8.570788 (rec 2007)

Bruckner String Quintet (w/ Gil Sharon), Naxos CD 8.570788 (rec 2007)

Debussy Quartet Op.10, Lodia CD 7702 (rec 1986) POP

Dohnányi Quartet No.1, Aulos Musikado CD AUL 66145 (rec 2002)

Dohnányi Quartet No.2, Aulos Musikado CD AUL 66145 (rec 2002)

Dohnányi Quartet No.3, Aulos Musikado CD AUL 66145 (rec 2002)

Dohnányi Piano Quintet No.1 (w/ Peter Frankl), Aulos Musikado CD, AUL 66146 (rec 2002)

Dohnányi Piano Quintet No.2 (w/ Peter Frankl), Aulos Musikado CD, AUL 66146 (rec 2002)

Dvorak Quartet Op.96 ("American"), Gasparo Records LP GS-223 (rec 1985) POP

Dvorak Quartet Op.96 ("American"), Lyrinx (France) CD LYR-184 (rec 1998)

Dvorak Quartet Op.105, Lyrinx CD LYR-184 (rec 1998)

Evans Quartet No.1, Naxos CD 8.559354 (rec 2007)

Fauré Piano Quintet No.1 (w/ Cristina Ortiz), Op. 89, Naxos CD 8.570938 (rec 2007)

Fauré Piano Quintet No.2 (w/ Cristina Ortiz), Op.115, Naxos CD 8.570938 (rec 2007)

Franck String Quartet, Naxos CD 8.572009 (rec 2008)

Franck Piano Quintet (w/ Cristina Ortiz), Naxos CD 8.572009 (rec 2008)

Glass Quartet No.2 ("Company"), Naxos CD 8.559354 (rec 2007)

Glazunov Quartet (Five Novelettes), Op.15, Naxos CD 8.570256 (rec 2005)

Glazunov Cello Quintet (w/ Nathaniel Rosen), Op.39, Naxos CD 8.570256 (rec 2005)

Haydn Quartet Op.54, No.1, Saga Records (London), (rec 1985) unreleased

Haydn Quartet Op.64, No.5 ("Lark"), Lodia CD 7701 (rec 1986) POP

Haydn Quartet Op.77, No.l, Lyrinx CD LYR-196 (rec 1998-99)

Haydn Quartet Op.77, No.2, Lyrinx CD LYR-196 (rec 1998-99)

Herrmann Quartet ("Echoes"), Naxos CD 8.559354 (rec 2007)

Kreisler Quartet in A Minor, Naxos CD 8.572559 TBR (rec 2010)

Mendelssohn Quartet Op.44, No.1, Koss Classics CD (rec 1991) unreleased

Mendelssohn Quartet Op.44, No.2, Koss Classics CD (rec 1991) unreleased

Mendelssohn String Octet, Op.20, (w/ Borodin Quartet), (rec 1990 live) commercial video

Mendelssohn String Quintet No.1, Op.18, (w/ Danilo Rossi), Naxos CD 8.570488 (rec 2007)

Mendelssohn String Quintet No.2, Op.87, (w/ Danilo Rossi), Naxos CD 8.570488 (rec 2007)

Mozart Quartet K.465 ("Dissonant"), Lodia CD 7700 and 7704 (rec 1986) POP

Mozart String Quintet K.174 (w/ Y. Gandelsman), Lyrinx CD LYR 2214 Super Audio CD format (rec 2001)

Mozart String Quintet K.406 (w/ Y. Gandelsman), Lyrinx CD LYR 2214 Super Audio CD format (rec 2001)

Mozart String Quintet K.406 (w/ Jean Dupouy), Lodia CD 7704 (rec 1986) POP

Mozart String Quintet K.515 (w/ Jean Dupouy), Lodia CD 7703 (rec 1986) POP

Mozart String Quintet K.515 (w/ Y. Gandelsman), Lyrinx CD LYR 2214 Super Audio CD format (rec 2001)

Mozart String Quintet K.516 (w/ Jean Dupouy), Lodia CD 7703 (rec 1986) POP

Mozart String Quintet K.516 (w/ Y. Gandelsman), Lyrinx CD LYR 2214 Super Audio CD format (rec 2001)

Mozart String Quintet K.593 (w/ Y. Gandelsman), Lyrinx CD LYR 2214 Super Audio CD format (rec 2001)

Mozart String Quintet K.614 (w/ Y. Gandelsman), Lyrinx CD LYR 2214 Super Audio CD format (rec 2001)

Rachmaninoff Quartet No.1, Lodia CD (rec 1986) unreleased

Ravel Quartet, Lodia CD 7702 (rec 1986) POP

Saint-Saëns Quartet No.1, Op.112, Naxos CD 8.572454, (rec 2009) [available on Naxos online, CD release in April, 2011]

Saint-Saëns Quartet No.2, Op.153, Naxos CD 8.572454, (rec 2009) [available on Naxos online, CD release in April, 2011]

Schubert Quartet No.14 ("Death and the Maiden"), Lodia CD 7700 (rec 1986) POP

Schumann Märchenerzählungen (Fairy Tales), Op. 132 (w/ Xiayin Wang), Naxos CD 8.572661, TBR (rec Dec. 2010)

Schumann Piano Quartet Op.47 (w/ Xiayin Wang), Naxos CD 8.572661, TBR (rec Dec. 2010)

Schumann Piano Quintet, Op.44 (w/ Xiayin Wang), Naxos CD 8.572661, TBR (rec Dec. 2010)

Schumann Piano Quintet, Op.44 (w/ Mikhail Rudy), (rec 1990 live) commercial video

Schumann Quartet, Op.41, No.1, Naxos CD 8.570151 (rec 2006)

Schumann Quartet, Op.41, No.2, Naxos CD 8.570151 (rec 2006)

Schumann Quartet, Op.41, No.3, Naxos CD 8.570151 (rec 2006)

Shostakovich Octet (Scherzo), Op.11, (w/ Borodin Quartet) (rec 1990 live) commercial video

Shostakovich Quartet No.1, Op.49, Gasparo Records LP GS-223 (rec 1985) POP

Shostakovich Quartet No.1, Op.49, Lyrinx CD, Super Audio CD format, TBR (rec 2000)

Shostakovich Quartet No.3, Op.73, Adès (Paris) CD 14.161-2 (rec 1989) POP (extract on Listen page)

Shostakovich Quartet No.4, Op.83, Lyrinx CD, Super Audio CD format, TBR (rec 2000)

Shostakovich Quartet No.7, Op.108, Adès CD 14.161-2 (rec 1989) POP

Shostakovich Quartet No.8, Op.110, Lyrinx CD, Super Audio CD format, TBR (rec 2000)

Shostakovich Quartet No.11, Op.122, Adès CD 14.161-2 (rec 1989) POP

Turina: La Oracion del Torero, Gasparo Records LP GS-223 (rec 1985) POP

Wolf: Italian Serenade, Lodia CD 7701 (rec 1986) POP

Wolf: Italian Serenade, Hänssler Classic CD 93.024 (rec 1998)

Wolf: Quartet Hänssler Classic CD 93.024 (rec 1998)

Ysaÿe: Harmonies du Soir, Op.31 (w/Deutsch-Niederländischen KammerPhilharmonie), Naxos CD 8.572559 TBR (rec 2010)

Zimbalist: Quartet in E Minor, Naxos CD 8.572559 TBR (rec 2010)

TBR = to be released
POP = permanently out of print
Audio and video samples at http://www.fineartsquartet.org/listen.html



b i o....s c h e d u l e....d i s c o g r a p h y....r e v i e w s

back to roster...up


.

.

.

.


.

r e v i e w s...........back to roster....up

Beethoven: String Quintets- Naxos CD 8.572221
"Grab this disc for your collection. Beethoven obviously liked something in the op. 104 arrangement that he felt superceded the op. 1 original, and op. 29 is a truly great work when played with the kind of spirit, subtlety, and vigor that Fine Arts and Sharon give it here. The sound quality is splendidly vivid and not overly reverberant." (Lynn René Bayley, Fanfare, Nov/Dec 2010)

"The highly experienced Fine Arts Quartet (and their guest) represent a style of string-playing that places great stress on beautiful, rich tone. Beethoven's challenging, wonderfully imaginative writing for quintet in both the main works here...is realised in a way that always sounds rounded and well balanced...The Fine Arts Quartet plays beautifully…these performances present a beguiling portrait." (Gramophone Magazine, October 2010)

"The Fine Arts Quartet delivers a strongly commited performance of this work [the Op.29 String Quintet], supported by a beautifully balanced but clear recording...They are particularly admirable in the finale, relishing the music's sudden bursts of aggression as well as its moments of outrageous humour...The powerful and expansive interpretation from the Fine Arts Quartet presents it [the Op. 104 Quintet] in an entirely new light, adding a mature and surprisingly sober reflection to its characteristically brusque and youthful energy." (Erik Levi, BBC Music Magazine, August 2010)

Franck: String Quartet and Piano Quintet - Naxos CD 8.572009
"Ortiz and her colleagues realise all of Franck's pent-up feeling in a performance of a special musical refinement and commitment...The Fine Arts Quartet are entirely at home in the very different scope of the String Quartet, relishing both the music's contrapuntal intricacy and its full-blown romanticism." (2011 Gramophone Classical Music Guide)

"Cristina Ortiz and the Fine Arts Quartet map out the structural flow lucidly while generating sounds of great refinement…the Fine Arts Quartet makes it blossom like never before." (Philip Clark, Classic FM Magazine, May, 2010)

Gramophone Magazine "EDITOR'S CHOICE February 2010. Cristina Ortiz and the Fine Arts Quartet pinpoint the work's volatility, with Ortiz throwing herself into the work's demands. The quartet is excellent, too. Altogether a fine recording of works that are still done less than they should be." (James Invernes, Gramophone Magazine, February 2010)

"Cristina Oritz is a pianist who always sparkles in concert, and she does on record joining the Fine Arts Quartet for a highly recommendable reading of the Piano Quintet of Cesar Franck, coupled with the D major quartet." (Peter Spaull, Liverpool Daily Post, February 19, 2010)

"FRANCK'S RICHLY ROMANTIC CHAMBER MUSIC IN DISTINGUISHED FINE ARTS QUARTET PERFORMANCES. This outstanding disc of two of Franck's late masterpieces features the Fine Arts Quartet with Cristina Ortiz in the Piano Quintet...Ortiz and her colleagues realise all of Franck's pent-up feeling in a performance of a special musical refinement and commitment...The Fine Arts Quartet, too, are entirely at home in the very different scope of the String Quartet, relishing both the music's contrapuntal intricacy and its full-blown romanticism...I shall look forward to more exceptional music-making from this team." (Bryce Morrison, Gramophone Magazine, February 2010)

"In the Quartet, the Fine Arts players strike a near-ideal balance between Romantic espressivo and Classical restraint. The bustling scherzo's post-'Rasumovsky' gesturing is dispatched with a feather-light touch, while the finale's thematic déjà vu is integrated into the music's overall structure with compelling inevitability. Franck's chromatic harmonic profiles have caused intonational havoc with some ensembles in the past, but the Fine Arts musicians sustain a remarkable degree of corporate tonal accuracy in both works. In the Quintet they are joined by the gifted Brazilian virtuoso Cristina Ortiz to stunning effect. In a work notorious for being overburdened with strenuous passion, this team works wonders in clarifying Franck’s occasionally overheated textures, enhanced by engineering of exemplary lucidity and presence." (Julian Haylock, The Strad, January, 2010)

"The Fine Arts Quartet makes an excellent job…A thoroughly coherent piece of ensemble playing…Ortiz shares some exquisite moments among her companions…the recording…preserves a sense of spontaneity while capturing the piano’s bass and upper treble notes superbly." (Mark Tanner, International Record Review, January, 2010)

''The Fine Arts Quartet brings a warm tone to the work, and there are some wonderfully idiomatic portamento sighs. They are at their very best in the slow movements, with Christina Ortiz matching their ebb and flow perfectly in the Quintet...This is a strong performance.'' (Christopher Dingle, BBC Music Magazine, Christmas 2009)

"César Franck's two most substantial chamber works...are impressive and perhaps the most significant contributions to French chamber music before Fauré, Debussy and Ravel...the pairing is a generous, useful one." (Andrew Clements, The Guardian, 6 November 2009)


Fauré: Piano Quintets - Naxos CD 8.570938
"I cannot imagine better performances. Cristina Ortiz is one of the most musical pianists around, and her ability to integrate her sound so fully into the very fabric of these works makes for a very special recording. The Fine Arts Quartet plays with all the subtlety and refinement one could ask for - beautiful, balanced, and blended strings are exactly what is called for in these works. The recorded sound and perceptive notes complete a package, that, like much of what I see and hear from Naxos these days, would be a strong competitor at full price. At under $9 it simply can't be beat." (James Harrington, American Record Guide, November/December 2009)

"This new [disc] with the Fine Arts Quartet and pianist Cristina Ortiz is definitely a keeper...The Fine Arts Quartet and Ortiz manage to scent this music with a bouquet I can only describe as quintessentially French. In their hands, Fauré’s music vibrates with a sentient tenderness almost too sad and too personal to be expressed. Beyond recommended, this is a mandatory purchase." (Jerry Dubins, Fanfare, Nov/Dec 2009)

"In Fauré there is no substitute for experience, and these five veterans show all their modern rivals the way home...The playing has an irresistible pulse...They produce the essence of Romantic playing...lovely tone and lovely phrasing...These are delectable performances." (Tully Potter, The Strad, October 2009)

"From the outset, Cristina Ortiz and the Fine Arts Quartet find just the right elegiac atmosphere...the Second Piano Quintet marks the pinnacle of Fauré’s chamber output and is performed here with great affection. The opening movement is radiantly played...a notable addition to the catalogue." (Mark Pullinger, International Record Review, October 2009)

"Ideally balanced and recorded, Cristina Ortiz and the Fine Arts Quartet offer performances that are warmly affectionate, fluent and musicianly to the core. Surpassing Domus's fine Hyperion disc, these are outstanding readings." (Bryce Morrison, The Gramophone, August 2009)

"At his best, Faure is among the most sophisticated and refined of all composers. And those qualities are enshrined in his two wonderful Piano Quintets, which receive bright and loving performances here from pianist Christina Ortiz and the Fine Arts Quartet. The rippling arpeggio opening to the first quintet cascades around the murmuring theme that unfolds its limbs luxuriously, while the music of the finale epitomises the subtlety of Faure’s supreme craftsmanship. Great performances, streaming with finesse and élan." (Michael Tumelty, The Herald Scotland, 24 August 2009)

"Performance: Four stars; Sound: Four stars...The Fine Arts Quartet has a notably ‘golden age’ approach, drawing on the aesthetic of an era not far from Fauré’s own and bringing both quintets fully to life in every bar. The sweet-toned first violin Ralph Evans produces portamenti worthy of Fauré’s friend Jacques Thibaud; Ortiz’s playing blends in sensitively, dousing the texture with showers of pianistic glitter; and the ensemble’s vibrant emotionalism - though suitably modified for Fauré’s purposes - emphasises the passion and questing exploration within the composer’s elusive language." (Jessica Duchen, BBC Music Magazine, July 2009)

"The two piano quintets are quintessential Fauré: a refined, translucent flow of interwoven melody. But the very subtlety of his chamber music has restricted its wider dissemination. If you don't already know the quintets, here is your introduction. The performances are nuanced. At bargain price, it's a snip." (Andrew Clark, Financial Times, June 27, 2009)

"Brazilian pianist Cristina Ortiz joins up with the American Fine Arts Quartet for this disc of Fauré’s two piano quintets. The first...opens magically, with tinkling piano arpeggios beautifully played by Ortiz, before plunging into vigorous string figures...The great merit of this disc is the perfect integration of the piano into the quartet" (Geoffrey Norris, Telegraph.co.uk, 22 June 2009)

"Their approach is warmly expressive, their phrasing generous and intense, so that the music's French pedigree is never in doubt...at budget price this is a real snip." (Andrew Clements, The Guardian, 19 June 2009)


Bruckner: Complete Chamber Music - Naxos CD 8.570788
"This recent Naxos release has a lot going for it…the Fine Arts Quartet (plus the just as talented Mr Sharon) is splendid in ensemble and rich and smooth in tone. It is in these respects surely at the top of the list of currently available recordings of the music. It is clean as a whistle, smooth as cream, split-second accurate in execution…The recording presents also a four-minute Intermezzo, which may have been designed as an extension of the finale of the quintet. Also at the end of the program, we are offered a six minute Rondo, which is clearly a slightly longer substitute for the rondo finale of the quartet." (John P McKelvey, American Record Guide, July 2009 )

"I haven’t heard many of the dozen or so recordings of the Quintet, but you’re unlikely to find one much better than this finely executed and clearly recorded disc; doubly so for the far rarer Quartet. The Fine Arts Quartet gives a warmly expressive and carefully calibrated reading." (Michael Cameron, Fanfare, May/June 2009)
“He [Gregory Vajda] obtained amazing colors in the Bartok and gave a certain grandeur to the Liszt.”
La Presse (Montréal)

“Directed with a stupefying management of dynamics in an ineluctable crescendo by the excellent Gregory Vajda, [Liszt’s] Preludes eschewed vulgar fortes and screaming brass. [The Preludes] were rich with nuance, yet cemented by a dazzling percussion section. An alchemy between orchestra and conductor already manifested itself in the Bartok, where the musicians, notably the clarinets, fully played out the colors of central Europe.”
Le Devoir (Montréal)

“It is the mark of Gregory Vajda’s talent that, as the conductor of the ‘Paris-Dakar’ composition [CD -Messages: Peter Eotvos Compositions], Vajda was able to show the highest standards in performance. After multiple listenings, without a doubt everyone gave the best of their talent, and the messages of Eotvos have indeed arrived.”
Muzsika (Hungary)

“Vajda didn’t have to goad his players on. They gleefully tore into Respighi’s boxes of fireworks (Fountains of Rome) and lit up the sky with them.”
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“The Omaha Symphony, led by guest conductor Gregory Vajda, augmented the cool big band sound with lush strings, extra percussion and brass.”
Omaha World-Herald

“The Orchestra, led by the talented, energetic Gregory Vajda, did not take its duke Ellington medley or its Viennese waltz and polka for granted, even though they were filler on a program that was first about the building and second about song stylist Michael Feinstein.”
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“As I Crossed a Bridge of Dreams by Peter Eotvos, a ‘sound theatre’ in the no man’s land of modern opera, produces images of illusory worlds, offering an acceptable hour-long experience. With the every now and then vertical seeming music (Klangforum conducted by Gregory Vajda, once again sovereign and masterful), which is very easily static, not requiring much reflection, yet it does succeed in creating a suggestive tendency in which one can involve one’s self.”
Neue Kronen Zeitung (Vienna)

“Gregory Vajda, the fantastically talented clarinet player and the fantastically talented conductor, now proved himself to be a fantastically talented composer as well. This music did not have even a tired second the whole time.”
Muzsika

“Gregory Vajda is the most joyful reward of the recent Hungarian musical life. Vajda is a multi-faceted talent all at a very high level. He is a clarinet virtuoso, a demanding conductor, a dynamic composer – acknowledged by all of my fellow critics.”
Magyar Hirlap

“The dream-opera of Peter Eotvos was conducted and held together by Gregory Vajda, the young giant of our musical life. His extraordinary abilities will secure his star-like career. His previous conducting in Paris and Vienna of the same opera had been internationally acknowledged.”
Muzsika

“Is there still such a thing as Hungarian Music? Does the legend of Bartok still live? In Gregory Vajda’s composition Hypertext one believes that the Hungarian music after Bartok still thrives.”
Frankfurter Allgemaine Zeitung

More at http://www.fineartsquartet.org/rev.html




b i o....s c h e d u l e....d i s c o g r a p h y....r e v i e w s

back to roster...up


.
.
N E W S R O S T E R C O N T A C T L I N K S