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ESQ celebrates 40 Years, with Chaconnes and Fantasias, music of Britten and Purcell / KDFC - State of the Arts
Posted At : August 15, 2017 12:00 AM
The Emerson String Quartet celebrated its 40th season this year, and partly inspired by their newest member, cellist Paul Watkins, who joined them in 2013, their most recent release includes the works of two of England's best known composers: Henry Purcell and Benjamin Britten. Violist Lawrence Dutton and violinist Eugene Drucker say the ensemble's success comes in part from having a sense of humor, being able to express themselves, and being very lucky.
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"Sense of humor, that's the first part, I think, right off the bat. You have to be able to laugh at yourselves, you have to be able to give criticism, and take criticism," Lawrence Dutton says. "But to be honest, you just have to be lucky, and the fact that when you're a bunch of young kids putting together an ensemble, you somehow grow together and manage to stay together in a way that works. There's no guarantee of that, it's like a marriage, you know, it takes work, but you can be just lucky, and I think we were lucky with… the personalities got along. We're all very different, but the personalities work together." When the ensemble formed in 1976, founding members Eugene Drucker and violinist Philip Setzer were still at Juilliard. Dutton and cellist David Finckel would join within a few years, and the lineup stayed for decades. On their newest album, they dive into Britten and one of his inspirations. "It's at least as much personal as it is nationalistic, Britten's preoccupation in some ways with the music of Purcell," Drucker says. "And the fact that Purcell composed a Chaconne – the British term for it is Chacony – which Britten himself edited so it could be performed by string orchestras. Even though we had previously played the Britten second and third Britten quartets, we hadn't intensively focused on them… Purcell we had never played." The Purcell piece they play in the video below inspired the rhythms of the final movement of Britten's second quartet, which is also on their disc Chaconnes and Fantasias – Music of Britten and Purcell.
LISTEN TO THE KDFC: San Francisco - State of the Arts SEGMENT
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ESQ's Eugene Drucker and Lawrence Dutton discuss Chaconnes and Fantasias with KUSC Radio
Posted At : August 14, 2017 12:00 AM
The Emerson String Quartet celebrating its 40th season recorded Chaconnes and Fantasias: Music of Britten and Purcell, the first release on Universal Music Classics' new US classical record label, Decca Gold. On this new album, the Emersons explore the close affinities of the music of Henry Purcell and Benjamin Britten, arguably two of Britain's most well known composers. Included here are Britten's String Quartet Nos. 2 and 3, and Purcell's Chacony in G minor and Fantazias Nos. 6, 8, 10 and 11.
Eugene Drucker (violin) says of this album, "it's hard to believe that the music on this CD spans almost three centuries, ranging from Purcell's surprisingly pungent harmonies to Britten's distinctive voice: pitched outside the mainstream of European modernism, experimental yet deeply rooted in his extensive knowledge of older music, drawing inspiration from and breathing new life into old forms."
Drucker and violist Lawrence Dutton sat down with KUSC: Los Angeles - Brian Lauritzen to discuss the new recording and their 40th season. Listen to the attached interview.
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ESQ's Eugene Drucker and Lawrence Dutton discuss Britten & Purcell with WQED: Pittsburgh
Posted At : August 4, 2017 12:00 AM
The Emerson String Quartet celebrates its 40th season this year and presents a new recording, Chaconnes and Fantasias: Music of Britten and Purcell, on Universal Music Classics' new US classical record label, Decca Gold. The Emersons explore the close affinities of the music of Henry Purcell and Benjamin Britten on this new album, arguably two of Britain's most well known composers. Included here are Britten's String Quartet Nos. 2 and 3, and Purcell's Chacony in G minor and Fantazias Nos. 6, 8, 10 and 11. Eugene Drucker (violin) says of this album, "it's hard to believe that the music on this CD spans almost three centuries, ranging from Purcell's surprisingly pungent harmonies to Britten's distinctive voice: pitched outside the mainstream of European modernism, experimental yet deeply rooted in his extensive knowledge of older music, drawing inspiration from and breathing new life into old forms."
WQED: Pittsburgh MD - Jim Cunningham interviews ESQ's violinist Eugene Drucker and violist Lawrence Dutton, regarding the release and discusses the homages to Purcel throughout the album. LISTEN
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ESQ'S Eugene Drucker and Lawrence Dutton tell KMFA: Austin that 'Chaconnes and Fantasias' recording is something of a renaissance
Posted At : August 3, 2017 12:00 AM
The Emerson String Quartet is observing its 40th anniversary this season, and to celebrate, they've released a new recording featuring the music of both Benjamin Britten and Henry Purcell. The fact that they've chosen the work of two English composers is no coincidence. If you've been following their career, you may remember that about four years ago they said goodbye to founding cellist David Finckel and welcomed a new cellist, Paul Watkins (himself an Englishman).
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As violinist Eugene Drucker and violist Lawrence Dutton told Rideshare host Chris Johnson, it's lead to something of a renaissance for the venerable ensemble. They spoke about that and their new album, "Chaconnes and Fantasias," in a recent interview produced with assistance from KMFA: Austin Story Seeker and volunteer production assistant Joshua Figueroa.
LISTEN
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Emerson String Quartet - Chaconnes and Fantasias is IPR: New Release of the Week
Posted At : June 26, 2017 12:00 AM
This year marks the 40th season for the Emerson String Quartet. They are celebrating with a new album called "Chaconnes and Fantasias."
"Chaconnes and Fantasias" features music of two of Britain's most famous composers: Henry Purcell (1659-1695) and Benjamin Britten (1913-1976). Four of Purcell's Fantasias and his Chacony in G minor appear alongside Britten's String Quartets Nos. 2 and 3. Although born 250 later than Purcell, Britten was heavily influenced by his predecessor. For example, the final movement of Britten's String Quartet No. 2 is based on Purcell's Chacony.
The Emerson Quartet was formed in 1976, and they took their name from the American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson. They were one of the first string quartets to have the two violinists alternate in the roles of first and second violin. Over their forty years of existence, they have recorded more than 30 albums, won nine Grammy Awards, and received the Avery Fisher Prize. Last fall, Deutsche Grammophone reissued the complete recordings of the Emerson Quartet in a 52-disc box set.
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The Emerson Quartet has appeared regularly at Interlochen during the summers since 1987. They are currently on tour throughout the United States and Europe.
Emerson String Quartet - Chaconnes and Fantasias is IPR: New Release of the Week. SEE THE IPR PAGE
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ESQ's Eugene Drucker and Lawrence Dutton speak with beets&noodz
Posted At : June 20, 2017 12:00 AM
Happy 40th anniversary to the Emerson String Quartet! On behalf of WKCR-FM, Columbia University's non-commercial student-run radio station, Jordan spoke with Emerson Quartet's violinist Eugene Drucker (CC '73) and violist Lawrence Dutton about how they're celebrating this year, their newly-released album – Chaconnes and Fantasias: Music of Britten and Purcell – their connection to Columbia University, and more. Don't miss the Emerson Quartet as they tour this summer! Listen to the interview or read more below.
LISTEN TO THE beets&noodz INTERVIEW
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Emerson String Quartet join seven actors for premiere of Shostakovich and The Black Monk / BroadwayWorld
Posted At : June 7, 2017 12:00 AM
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On Saturday, June 17 at 8 PM, the world renowned Emerson String Quartet is joined with a cast of seven actors for the world premiere of Shostakovich and The Black Monk: A Russian Fantasy at the Detroit Film Theatre, as part of the Black Monk Festival organized by the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival and The Wayne State University Russian Program. "This is by far the most ambitious artistic project that the Festival has ever undertaken," said Maury Okun, President of the Great Lakes Chamber music Festival. Co-commissioned by the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, Tanglewood Music Festival and Princeton University Concerts, Shostakovich and The Black Monk: A Russian Fantasy comes from the minds of acclaimed writer-director, James Glossman, and Emerson String Quartet member, Philip Setzer.
With the stroke of a pen, the Soviet regime undermined the career of one of the most prominent composers of the 20th century. In a bold intersection of chamber music and theater starring Len Cariou and Jay O. Sanders with the Emerson String Quartet, witness the trials and redemption of Dmitri Shostakovich's obsessive quest to create an opera based on Anton Chekhov's mystical tale: The Black Monk.
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READ THE FULL BroadwayWorld ARTICLE
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Emerson String Quartet - Music of Britten and Purcell / KUCI review
Posted At : May 20, 2017 12:00 AM
New in the KUCI Classical Library - Emerson String Quartet - Chacconnes and Fantasias - Music of Britten and Purcell - (Decca Gold)
As if to provide context for the performances of Benjamin Britten's Sting Quartets # 2 in C Major and # 3 in G Major, this disc brackets them with five short pieces by Great Britain's most renowned baroque composer Henry Purcell, one arranged by Britten. While the Britten pieces are relentlessly modern with strong atonal elements and twentieth century moodiness, their juxtaposition against the earlier pieces demonstrates a through line composed of formal elegance that bespeaks an intimate awareness of deepest thoughts and feelings in the English idiom.
READ THE REVIEW by: Hobart Taylor
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ESQ's Eugene Drucker and Lawrence Dutton talk with WKCR about new recording
Posted At : May 19, 2017 12:00 AM
The Emerson String Quartet celebrates its 40th season this year and presents a new recording, Chaconnes and Fantasias: Music of Britten and Purcell, which represents the first release on Universal Music Classics' new US classical record label, Decca Gold. On this new album, the Emersons explore the close affinities of the music of Henry Purcell and Benjamin Britten, arguably two of Britain's most well known composers. Included here are Britten's String Quartet Nos. 2 and 3, and Purcell's Chacony in G minor and Fantazias Nos. 6, 8, 10 and 11.
Eugene Drucker (violin), and Lawrence Dutton (viola) sat down with WKCR: New York - Jordan Lee to discuss the new album. Listen to the attached clips.
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Emerson String Quartet - Britten and Purcell / New Classical Tracks
Posted At : May 17, 2017 12:00 AM
New Classical Tracks is a Syndicated Feature airing Nationally on Classical 24 & Statewide on Minnesota Public Radio. Listen to Julie Amacher's Feature with ESQ violinist - Eugene Drucker & violist Lawrence Dutton
They officially formed their quartet in 1976, the bicentennial year of the United States. Violinist Eugene Drucker says that's why they selected a name with cultural overtones. "So it was named after Ralph Waldo Emerson," Eugene says. "We wanted to try something slightly different. Yet in choosing an American name, we did not want to name ourselves after a political figure or even a statesman of the caliber of Jefferson, even though he was a renaissance man. So instead we decided to veer off into the area of philosophy and literature, somebody who had a tremendous impact on the history of ideas throughout the 19th century."
The Emerson String Quartet have certainly lived up to their namesake. Over the past four decades, they've earned nine Grammy Awards, three Gramophone Awards, the Avery Fischer Prize, Musical America's "Ensemble of the Year," four honorary doctorates, and they've collaborated with some of the greatest artists of our time. So, what's left for them to accomplish? Well, violist Lawrence Dutton says the repertoire is endless, and "Four years ago, we brought a new member into the Emerson Quartet. Paul Watkins is our new cellist. He took over from David Finckel, and I don't think the three of us thought that the rebirth would be as wonderful as it has been, and we are in a phase now of no end in sight."
On this new recording, the Emerson String Quartet explore the affinity between two of England's best-known composers, Henry Purcell and Benjamin Britten. As you listen to Britten's String Quartets, and Purcell's Chacony in G minor and Fantazias, Eugene Drucker says there are so many similarities, it's hard to believe this music spans almost three centuries.
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You can enter for a chance to win a copy of this week's featured CD on New Classical Tracks. Winners will be drawn at random. Be sure to enter by 9 a.m. CDT on Wednesday, April 12, 2017.
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Emerson Quartet bridges the centuries with music of Britten and Purcell / All Classical Portland
Posted At : May 17, 2017 12:00 AM
The members of the Emerson String Quartet are keeping plenty busy, both onstage and in the studio. They're touring, too: the four members of the Grammy® – winning chamber ensemble were in Portland recently (presented by Chamber Music NW), and will return in July. It's all part of a well-deserved celebration of the group's 40th anniversary. While their current cellist, British Paul Watkins, has been with them for several years (after David Finckel departed), the other three have been playing together since their days together at the Juilliard School. Their newest CD, Music of Britten and Purcell (on Decca) illustrates that the quartet is still forging new trails in music. In my recorded conversation found on this page, first violinist Eugene Drucker and violist Lawrence Dutton bridge the years between these two great English masters.
Henry Purcell (1659-1695) is regarded as England's greatest composer – up to the 20th century. The greatest British composer to follow Purcell is Benjamin Britten, and what ties the two of them together was Britten's admiration for his English predecessor. Britten re-orchestrated Purcell's Chacony in g minor ("Chacony" was the English form of the word, Chaconne); he later composed the finale to his Quartet No. 2 on the structure of Purcell's stately dance. Emerson Quartet explore these connections, but also go back to the source, by playing Purcell's "Fantazias" (the spelling chosen for this recording), and the effect is wonderfully "pure" (to borrow Dutton's word for these almost ethereal works), both in the performance and placement on either side of Britten's quartets. If Emerson Quartet continues along this path, then I wish them a long and fruitful journey, and will look forward to what they discover along the way.
All Classical Portland MD - John Pitman sat down with violinist - Eugene Drucker and violist Lawrence Dutton to discuss the new album. LISTEN
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The Emerson String Quartet go all english for anniversary release / Musical Toronto
Posted At : May 16, 2017 12:00 AM
This new recording by the Emerson explores a side of Britten that is often overlooked: his admiration for Henry Purcell (1659-1695) and how that admiration was expressed in his music. Britten made ‘realizations' or modern performing editions of numerous Purcell works, including Dido and Aeneas, The Fairy Queen, and the Chacony for strings included on this new CD. He also composed his own Chacony as the last movement of his String Quartet No. 2, a Chacony that also turns up in his Suite No. 2 for cello, as well as in several of his other compositions. A chacony or chaconne is a set of variations, repeated over and over, on a ground bass. A close relative of the chacony is the passacaglia in which the variations are based on a chord sequence rather than on a repeated bass line. Britten was also fond of the passacaglia as evidenced by his String Quartet No. 3, Peter Grimes, the Suite No. 3 for cello and a number of other works.
The Emerson String Quartet plays the Purcell pieces on this CD with at least a nod to period performance practice; yes, vibrato is used sparingly, but one misses the sound of the period instruments. Furthermore, these are not really string quartet pieces - Haydn created the genre about 40 years after the death of Purcell – but they are thoughtful and appropriate companion pieces for the Britten quartets. READ THE FULL Musical Toronto REVIEW
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ESQ's Eugene Drucker and Lawrence Dutton discuss new recording with Radio Purdue
Posted At : May 10, 2017 12:00 AM
Fantastic news for chamber music fans - the Emerson String Quartet has released a new recording of repertoire not in their extensive catalog: music by Benjamin Britten and Henry Purcell! Lawrence Dutton and Eugene Drucker spoke with WBAA's - W. Lafayette IN, John Clare about this Decca Gold offering. Learn more about Chaconnes and Fantasias here. The Emersons play at Ravinia on Monday, July 24th. You can hear this release and other amazing new pieces on WBAA Classical on 101.3FM and WBAA.org.
LISTEN TO THE SEGMENT
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ESQ's Eugene Drucker and Lawrence Dutton talk Britten and Purcell with WRCJ: Detroit
Posted At : May 9, 2017 12:00 AM
The Emerson String Quartet celebrates its 40th season this year and presents a new recording, Chaconnes and Fantasias: Music of Britten and Purcell, which is the first release on Universal Music Classics' new US classical record label, Decca Gold. On this new album, the Emersons explore the close affinities of the music of Henry Purcell and Benjamin Britten, arguably two of Britain's most well known composers. Included here are Britten's String Quartet Nos. 2 and 3, and Purcell's Chacony in G minor and Fantazias Nos. 6, 8, 10 and 11. Their US tour takes them from California to New York to Virginia this spring and summer, and on April 26 they performed works from the new album and their extensive repertoire at The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space at WQXR. Eugene Drucker (violin) says of this album, "it's hard to believe that the music on this CD spans almost three centuries, ranging from Purcell's surprisingly pungent harmonies to Britten's distinctive voice: pitched outside the mainstream of European modernism, experimental yet deeply rooted in his extensive knowledge of older music, drawing inspiration from and breathing new life into old forms."
Drucker and violist Lawrence Dutton joined WRCJ: Detroit - Chris Felcyn for some good conversation about all of these subjects. Listen to the attached interview.
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ESQ: Britten, Purcell - Chaconnes & Fantasias is WFMT: Featured Release
Posted At : May 2, 2017 12:00 AM
Celebrating its 40th anniversary, the Emerson String Quartet releases "Chaconnes and Fantasias: Music of Britten and Purcell." With repertoire never before recorded by the quartet, the album comprises Benjamin Britten's String Quartets Nos 2 and 3 as well as a selection of chaconnes and fantasias by Henry Purcell.
Emerson String Quartet: Chaconnes & Fantasias on Decca is WFMT: Chicago - Featured Release for Tuesday May 2, 2017.
Tracks include:
Purcell: Fantasia No 6 in F major (3:49)
Britten: String Quartet No 2 in C major, Op 36: First movement (8:07)
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ESQ's Eugene Drucker and Lawrence Dutton speak with Classical Radio about new Britten - Purcell recording
Posted At : April 26, 2017 12:00 AM
The Emerson String Quartet celebrates its 40th season this year and presents a new recording, Chaconnes and Fantasias: Music of Britten and Purcell, which is their first release on Universal Music Classics' new US classical record label, Decca Gold. Their US tour takes them from California to New York to Virginia this spring and summer, and on April 26 they will perform works from the new album and their extensive repertoire in celebration of the 40th anniversary at The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space at WQXR.
In conjunction with this release, Quartet violinist Eugene Drucker and violist Lawrence Dutton have made herself available today - April 26, to speak about the album with Classical Radio Stations and Networks throughout North America. Participating cities include; New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Portland, Austin, among others. Stay tuned for our tweets.
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ESQ, still going strong / The Epoch Times
Posted At : April 24, 2017 12:00 AM
The Emerson String Quartet is in the midst of its 40th anniversary season, and the group is marking the occasion with, among other events, a new CD and an upcoming concert at Carnegie Hall. The album begins with Purcell's "Chacony in G Minor, Z 730" in an arrangement by Britten (who also wrote an arrangement of the piece for string orchestra). The genesis of the work is unknown and even the title is mysterious. Why, for example, did Purcell call it a "chacony" and not a chaconne? The 18 variations on an 8-bar theme are stately, with a hint of melancholy.
READ THE FULL Epoch Times REVIEW
