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Beethoven: The Late String Quartets (Complete)

by Cypress String Quartet

  • The Cypress String Quartet (Cecily Ward and Tom Stone, violins; Ethan Filner, viola; and Jennifer Kloetzel, cello) has has finished recording the third album in a three-CD box set of Beethoven string quartets that will be released on Tuesday, March 6, 2012. Historically referred to as Beethoven's “Late Period,” the six string quartets featured on the three albums were written between 1822 and 1826. The final disc (No.1 in the box set, which is organized chronologically) includes Beethoven’s String Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 127 and String Quartet in A Minor, Op. 132. The box set features new program notes written by Joseph Kerman, the author of The Beethoven Quartets (W. W. Norton & Company). All of the recordings were produced by Cypress first violinist Cecily Ward, engineered by Mark Willsher, and recorded at Skywalker Sound. The complete set will be available on iTunes, CDbaby.com, Amazon.com, and other major retailers. In addition to the physical CD, these albums will also be available for hi-res digital download via www.downloadsnow.net in both 44khz/16-bit and 96khz/24-bit uncompressed .WAV audio formats.

    Orders will also be accepted by phone; call the Cypress Quartet office at 415-500-2150.

    String Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 127 was the first of Beethoven’s Late Quartets and was commissioned along with Op. 130 and Op. 132 by Prince Nicholas Galitzin in 1822. The Cypress's box set March 6 release date coincides with the anniversary of Opus 127's premiere performance in 1825. Although String Quartet in A Minor, Op. 132 was published as the third work of the Galitzin commissioned quartets, it was actually composed immediately after Op. 127. The Cypress Quartet will perform Op. 127 in its annual Call & Response concert at Herbst Theatre on Friday, March 16, 2012, which will feature the world premiere of a new work by French composer Philippe Hersant.
    Op. 132 is the first Beethoven Quartet that the Cypress tackled. When the group began its rehearsal of the work shortly after forming, cellist Jennifer Kloetzel stated, “People thought we were crazy, but we wanted to dive right in. We had each been
    waiting a long time to meet the right people to play this music with, and really saw no reason to postpone it any longer.” For 15 years since coming together over Op. 132, the Cypress String Quartet has explored Beethoven’s Late Quartets in rehearsal and
    live performance, and in this recording they share their discoveries. Violinist Tom Stone says, “We have strived to reveal Beethoven's general humanity, as well as his drama and idiosyncrasies. The harmonic structure and form of this music are what we focused on, and I think the result is a recording that glows.”

    The first of the Cypress Quartet’s Late Beethoven recordings (No. 3 in the box set) was released in August 2009, followed by the release of a second volume (No. 2 in the box set) in August of 2010. Gramophone praised the 2009 disc, which includes String Quartet in C-sharp Minor, Op. 131 String Quartet in F Major, Op. 135, as “revealing artistry of uncommon insight and cohesion,” and the album was featured as one of The Denver Post’s “Best of 2009.” The second disc, which includes Beethoven’s String Quartet in B-flat Major, Op. 130 and the Große Fuge, Op. 133, proved again that “The Cypress players tie the threads together seamlessly and immaculately” (Fanfare Magazine). The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported, “The performances are masterly: technically assured and lucidly conversational. After this, one can hardly wait for the third and final release.”
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The Cypress String Quartet (Cecily Ward and Tom Stone, violins; Ethan Filner, viola; and Jennifer Kloetzel, cello) has has finished recording the third album in a three-CD box set of Beethoven string quartets that will be released on Tuesday, March 6, 2012. Historically referred to as Beethoven's “Late Period,” the six string quartets featured on the three albums were written between 1822 and 1826. The final disc (No.1 in the box set, which is organized chronologically) includes Beethoven’s String Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 127 and String Quartet in A Minor, Op. 132. The box set features new program notes written by Joseph Kerman, the author of The Beethoven Quartets (W. W. Norton & Company). All of the recordings were produced by Cypress first violinist Cecily Ward, engineered by Mark Willsher, and recorded at Skywalker Sound. The complete set will be available on iTunes, CDbaby.com, Amazon.com, and other major retailers. In addition to the physical CD, these albums will also be available for hi-res digital download via www.downloadsnow.net in both 44khz/16-bit and 96khz/24-bit uncompressed .WAV audio formats.

String Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 127 was the first of Beethoven’s Late Quartets and was commissioned along with Op. 130 and Op. 132 by Prince Nicholas Galitzin in 1822. The Cypress's box set March 6 release date coincides with the anniversary of Opus 127's premiere performance in 1825. Although String Quartet in A Minor, Op. 132 was published as the third work of the Galitzin commissioned quartets, it was actually composed immediately after Op. 127. The Cypress Quartet will perform Op. 127 in its annual Call & Response concert at Herbst Theatre on Friday, March 16, 2012, which will feature the world premiere of a new work by French composer Philippe Hersant.
Op. 132 is the first Beethoven Quartet that the Cypress tackled. When the group began its rehearsal of the work shortly after forming, cellist Jennifer Kloetzel stated, “People thought we were crazy, but we wanted to dive right in. We had each been waiting a long time to meet the right people to play this music with, and really saw no reason to postpone it any longer.” For 15 years since coming together over Op. 132, the Cypress String Quartet has explored Beethoven’s Late Quartets in rehearsal and live performance, and in this recording they share their discoveries. Violinist Tom Stone says, “We have strived to reveal Beethoven's general humanity, as well as his drama and idiosyncrasies. The harmonic structure and form of this music are what we focused on, and I think the result is a recording that glows.”

The first of the Cypress Quartet’s Late Beethoven recordings (No. 3 in the box set) was released in August 2009, followed by the release of a second volume (No. 2 in the box set) in August of 2010. Gramophone praised the 2009 disc, which includes String Quartet in C-sharp Minor, Op. 131 String Quartet in F Major, Op. 135, as “revealing artistry of uncommon insight and cohesion,” and the album was featured as one of The Denver Post’s “Best of 2009.” The second disc, which includes Beethoven’s String Quartet in B-flat Major, Op. 130 and the Große Fuge, Op. 133, proved again that “The Cypress players tie the threads together seamlessly and immaculately” (Fanfare Magazine). The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported, “The performances are masterly: technically assured and lucidly conversational. After this, one can hardly wait for the third and final release.”

credits

released March 6, 2012

Cypress String Quartet:
Cecily Ward, violin
Tom Stone, violin
Ethan Filner, viola
Jennifer Kloetzel, cello
Producer: Cecily Ward
Recording Engineer: Mark Willsher
Assistant Engineer: Dann Thompson
Program Notes: Joseph Kerman
Photos: Basil Childers
Design: www.meyercreative.com
Recorded at 96kHz 24 bit on the Skywalker Sound scoring stage using a matched pair of Sanken CO-100K microphones.
Copyright 2012 Cypress Performing Arts Association.

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Cypress String Quartet San Francisco

Known for its elegant performances, the Cypress String Quartet (Cecily Ward, violin; Tom Stone, violin; Ethan Filner, viola; and Jennifer Kloetzel, cello) has been praised by Gramophone for its “artistry of uncommon insight and cohesion,” and its sound has been called “beautifully proportioned and powerful” by The Washington Post. The Cypress Quartet was formed in San Francisco in 1996 ... more

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