Berkshire Bach celebrates Bach at New Year's with Berkshire Bach Ensemble Director and Soloist, Eugene Drucker, Founder of the Emerson String Quartet, and a program of Bach, Purcell and Mozart. The ensemble will perform three concerts, the first on December 30th at the Academy of Music in Northampton, New Year's Eve at the Mahaiwe in Great Barrington, MA and on New Year's Day at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall in Troy, NY. Violinist Eugene Drucker is a founding member of the Emerson String Quartet in 1976 and is also an active soloist. He has appeared with the orchestras of Montreal, Brussels, Antwerp, Hartford, Richmond, Omaha, Jerusalem, as well as the American Symphony Orchestra and Aspen Chamber Symphony.  LISTEN TO Northeast Public Radio SEGMENT

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. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px} "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

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.

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

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). p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px} 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.   

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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. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px} 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

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 p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px}

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial} 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. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px} READ THE FULL BroadwayWorld ARTICLE

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   

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.

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

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. p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Helvetica; min-height: 12.0px} 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.

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

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 p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Helvetica; min-height: 12.0px}

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. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px}

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) p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px}

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.

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

The Emerson String Quartet, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, will be in San Diego on Saturday as part of the La Jolla Music Society's Revelle Chamber Music Series. There's no shortage of accolades and achievements for the Emerson String Quartet - violinists Eugene Drucker and Philip Setzer, violist Lawrence Dutton and cellist Paul Watkins. Nine Grammys, including two for best classical album. Three Gramophones, one of the most prestigious awards in classical music. "Ensemble of the Year" by Musical America, the nation's oldest classical music magazine. The ensemble returns featuring - Mozart's String Quartet in D Minor, Shostakovich's String Quartet No. 4 and Dvořák's String Quartet No. 11, Op. 61. Eugene Drucker, one of the founding members, answered some questions about the quartet's momentous anniversary, the state of classical music and its new album, "Chaconnes and Fantasias: Music of Britten and Purcell," set for release this Friday. PHOTO: (Lisa Marie Mazzucco) READ THE San Diego Union-Tribune Q&A p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Helvetica; min-height: 12.0px} span.Apple-tab-span {white-space:pre}

The Emerson String Quartet has amassed an unparalleled list of achievements over four decades: more than thirty acclaimed recordings, nine Grammy Awards, three Gramophone Awards, the Avery Fisher Prize, Musical America's "Ensemble of the Year" and collaborations with many of the greatest artists of our time. The Quartet joins WQXR: New York & Audience live in The Greene Space to celebrate its 40th anniversary and the release of a new recording, Chaconnes and Fantasias: Music of Britten and Purcell, their first on Universal Music Classics' new US classical record label, Decca Gold.  The PROGRAM includes: PURCELL Chacony (edited by Benjamin Britten)
MOZART Quartet No. 19 in C Major, K. 465: I. Adagio-Allegro
TURNAGE Shroud: V. movement
BEETHOVEN Quartet No.13, Op.130: IV. Alla danza tedesca: Allegro assai
SHOSTAKOVICH Quartet No. 4 in D major, op. 83: I. Allegretto
GRIEG Quartet, Op. 27: IV. Finale: Lento - Presto al saltarello p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Helvetica; min-height: 12.0px}

While the term "atonal" may be most commonly associated with German expressionism and 12-tone composition, earlier French impressionists also deviated from tonality with techniques including nontraditional chord progressions and an embrace of exotic, non-Western scales. On Friday night at Stanford's Bing Concert Hall, the peerless Emerson String Quartet put these multiple meanings of atonality on display in a program of works by Debussy, Berg, and Ravel.  READ THE FULL San Francisco Classical Voice REVIEW p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Helvetica; min-height: 12.0px} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Helvetica}

It's easy, and not entirely wrong, to regard the string quartet as a quintessentially European phenomenon. One of the great and lasting legacies of the Emerson String Quartet's 40-year career has been its ability to shine a distinctively American light on this tradition. This weekend's program, featuring quartets by Ravel, Berg and Debussy, could scarcely be more Eurocentric. But expect the ensemble to put its own spin on this material. The Emerson String Quartet performs this Friday, March 24 at Stanford's Bing Concert Hall. READ THE FULL SFGATE ARTICLE

With 9 Grammy Awards and 3 Gramophone Awards, the Emerson String Quartet bestrides the world of chamber music like a colossus.   Its polished and authoritative performances, its comprehensive and mighty discography, its fearless embrace of the new and unusual as well as the classics - all have placed this string quartet high in the pantheon of chamber music. DG's tremendous 52 CD new release set, documents the quartet's exceptional longevity and dynamism in all its magnificence: Founded in 1976, they are still as youthfully active and inquisitive as ever and this video proves it.  Note that the Emersons are willing to give interviews Eugene Drucker made himself available to classical radio. Listen to the attached interview with Angela Mitchell from WCLV: Cleveland "Four decades ago, when Philip Setzer and I began to build a quartet career with two friends from the Juilliard School, we could not have imagined the scope of the journey on which we were embarking..." Eugene Drucker

Now celebrating its 40th year producing some of the world's premier classical music, it's difficult to imagine an honor that the Emerson String Quartet has not yet earned. The influential foursome has racked up a whopping nine Grammy Awards, an Avery Fisher Prize, three Gramophone Awards and been named Musical America's "Ensemble of the Year." Violist Lawrence Dutton, violinists Eugene Drucker and Philip Setzer, and cellist Paul Watkins will be performing at Stamford's Palace Theatre on January 14.  We caught up with Dutton, a Westchester local, to get a sense of the quartet's connection to the county and what makes them such an enduring presence. READ THE Westchester Magazine Q&A

As of 2016, the Emerson String Quartet has been around for 40 years. For comparison, here is a brief list of other awesome things that have been around for 40 years: Benedict Cumberbatch, The Muppet Show, the movie Rocky, the Blues Brothers, Big Red Gum, the game Whack-a-Mole, VHS tapes, and the Ramones' debut album. In this episode, ESQ violinist - Eugene Drucker talks about what it means to play for that long with the same musicians, about what has changed over the years, and about the Emerson's new 52-CD box set. Music in this episode (all from Emerson String Quartet – Complete Recordings On Deutsche Grammophon): String Quartet No. 14 in D Minor. Franz Schubert.
String Quartet No. 11 in F Minor. Ludwig van Beethoven.
String Quartet No. 1.  Béla Bartók.
String Quartet No. 17 ("The Hunt"). Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Symphony No. 15. Dmitri Shostakovich.
3 Madrigals. Bohuslav Martinů.
Lyric Suite. Alban Berg.
String Quintet for 2 violins, viola & 2 cellos in C major. Franz Schubert.

Tales of birth, death, oppression and academic politics lay behind the three works performed by the Emerson String Quartet at Sunday's Celebrity Series Boston concert in a sold-out Jordan Hall. Borges once noted that it takes great skill to make a story seem simple, and that applies as well to the honest, straightforward, "simple" and highly refined playing we heard. Mozart's K. 421 is the second of his "Haydn" quartets and the only one in a minor key. For Mozart, D minor was associated with fate and death, as in his Requiem. In this case, the story line appears to have been influenced by all of the attendant complex emotions surrounding the impending birth of Mozart's first child. With Eugene Drucker sitting as 1st violin, the foursome took the moderato tempo marking seriously, and with a light touch and burnished gold coloration, emphasized the debt and homage to Haydn. Subtle responsiveness and interaction prevailed among the instruments, each calling and responding to the other marvelously. Throughout, Paul Watkins's cello was grounded and supportive without being obtrusive. Elegant simplicity marked the melodic and graceful andante. The dramatic menuetto seemed to evoke the weight of responsibility, brightened temporarily by a sweet, almost celestial playfulness in the Trio, followed by a forceful return of the menuetto with bolder dynamics and greater f-p contrast. The siciliana theme in the last movement took on great emotional weight, with strong accents giving it the proper feeling of a full lifetime's vision, a dance of life-the only dance there is. The four variations moved successively through a dreamy, almost Romantic infancy, a jaunty, spritely youth, maturity and wisdom, to a final look back, reflective, a bit sorrowful, then the panic and angst of Mozart's wonderful ending and final cadence. READ THE FULL Boston Musical Intelligencer REVIEW

Most birthday events end with some kind of celebratory finale. For its 40th anniversary recital, though, the Emerson String Quartet had other ideas. As an encore the players chose the slow movement from Beethoven's last string quartet, marked "Cantante e tranquillo", offering the balm of a soft, songful chorale - unexpected, but inspired. Formed in New York in 1976, the Emerson String Quartet has various claims to fame. It was one of the first quartets to alternate its leader; and since 2002 its members have played standing up (the cellist perches on a high seat). But from the start the most enduring attribute has been the sheer technical excellence of the quartet's playing. For precision and unanimity it is second to none. The highlight of this busy 40th anniversary season has been the premiere of Mark-Anthony Turnage's Shroud. Written for the Emerson Quartet and a co-commission between an armful of international music organisations including Wigmore Hall, the work was getting its first UK performance. It was performed with every ounce of the taut, incisive grip that is the mark of the Emerson String Quartet at its best. On either side, the players gave hardly less gripping performances of Beethoven's Op.95 and Tchaikovsky's String Quartet No.3, the dying, high chords of the latter's slow movement so perfectly in tune that it was almost uncanny. Forty years on, the Emerson String Quartet remains at the top of its game. p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Helvetica; min-height: 12.0px} span.s1 {text-decoration: underline}

Tuesday Musical's 2016-17 Main Stage Season opens Tuesday, Sept. 27, 7:30 p.m. in EJ Thomas Hall with the Emerson String Quartet's 40th anniversary celebration and world premiere of English composer Mark-Anthony Turnage's "Shroud." The Akron audience will hear the world premiere of "Shroud" before performances of the piece at Lincoln Center in New York City and Wigmore Hall in London. Tuesday Musical is a co-commissioner of the piece, along with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, among others. Acclaimed by Fortune magazine as "arguably the world's best group of chamber musicians," the Emerson String Quartet has amassed an unparalleled list of achievements over three decades: more than 30 recordings, nine Grammys (including two for Best Classical Album), three Gramophone Awards, the Avery Fisher Prize, Musical America's "Ensemble of the Year" and collaborations with many of the greatest artists of our time. READ THE FULL Akronist ARTICLE

New Classical Tracks is a Syndicated Feature airing Nationally on Classical 24 & Statewide on Minnesota Public Radio. Listen to Julie Amacher's Feature with Emerson String Quartet violinist Eugene Drucker READ THE TRANSCRIPT - Time flies when you're having fun - just ask violinist Eugene Drucker, one of the founding members of the Emerson String Quartet. Forty years later, the quartet is still going strong - so you might be wondering: what is the secret to maintaining a long working relationship? "I think mutual respect is very important," Eugene says. "You have to be not only tolerant of the differences between yourself and others but actually open to learning from different ways of doing things. A sense of humor is also important and the ability to take a step back … and being able to laugh at oneself when your needs or desires are not necessarily met in a given situation. So I would say a sense of humor is an important lubricant." The Emerson String Quartet is a well-oiled machine, whose creative work is documented in a new 52-CD, limited-edition box set of its complete recordings. I asked Eugene where he would suggest you start listening. "That's a good question - I haven't thought about that," he ponders. "You know, my advice to that person might depend a little bit on what I know of that person's musical taste and the extent to which he or she is indoctrinated in the world of classical music in general and in the world of chamber music. So, for example, we have found that Shostakovich's music has a really visceral effect on audiences when we perform it. So it might surprise you if I would suggest that they listen to a Shostakovich quartet to begin with instead of Haydn or Mozart. But I think for some people who are not that familiar with the repertoire and the way in which the narrative of the string quartet unfolds - for example in the classical period, late 18th century - I might try to find something that feels like it's from the more recent past to recommend to them. "But I would want that person to sooner or later listen to the way we interpreted Bach, Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven," Eugene continues. "If you take the totality of Beethoven's work, those 16 quartets, which clearly divide into the early, middle, and late periods, you have really the cornerstone of the quartet repertoire. Music that to some extent was influenced by Haydn and Mozart and even music way before the existence of the string quartet. But most significantly, music that had a huge effect on generations of composers that followed Beethoven. So very early in this hypothetical listening project I would suggest that the person listen to some of the Beethoven quartets." When I started to scan everything that's in this set, one thing that caught my ear was the Mendelssohn Octet. It's a unique performance featuring each member of the Emerson String Quartet on two different parts, using different instruments. "That's right," Eugene confirms. "We used the different instruments in order to try to differentiate our sounds as much as possible. So for example, when I played first violin and fourth violin, the sounds were somewhat different. Of course, it was still me playing and by the way the nature of the way those parts are written is quite different. The first violin is the lead line, it's very extroverted, very flamboyant, concerto-like writing. The fourth violin is more of a team player. But the fourth violin does get a couple of very beautiful, lyrical solos in the course of that octet. Each one of us then used a pairing of a new instrument for one part and an old Italian instrument for the other part he was playing. In addition to that, we sat in different places on the stage. So for the audience, the imaginary configuration of this group that one is listen to - let's say you're in your living room, listening on your stereo system … there are eight different locations of sound coming out of your speakers. We didn't want a flatness of texture, of the auditory impression it made on the listeners. "A lot of this was conceived by our brilliant recording producer and engineer, Da-Hong Seetoo, who himself is an excellent violinist," Eugene adds. "He had to build hardware into his computer, I think, at that time in order to give a sense of this kind of spatial dimension in which this imaginary octet was functioning. He did a great job." So I'm looking at the list of all the special guests with whom you've performed over the years. Can you share a memorable story about your experience with that special guest? "We performed and recorded the Schubert Cello Quintet with Rostropovich in late 1990. We performed the Quintet with Slava, and David Finckel, our cellist, had studied with Slava and absolutely worshiped him. As a young man, David followed him around, trying to get lessons whenever he could … [Rostropovich] was a big drinker and got us all to drink a lot during that week we were together. It was a very festive time. We enjoyed the dinners we had with him and the mayor and the cultural department of BASF. He also had an apartment in Paris that was one of his homes, and our next stop was Paris, where we had a concert without him in a Sunday morning series, at the Champs Elysées. He offered us a ride in the Falcon jet that was made available to him by the head of the BASF Corporation because he was president of the festival. So we rode in that Falcon jet with him and the champagne flowed freely during that one-hour flight, I can tell you that."

In 2013, David Finckel decided to step down after spending 34 years with the Emerson String Quartet. That was an emotional transition for the ensemble, that was made easier by the addition of Paul Watkins. "Paul is an amazing and versatile musician. He's an accomplished pianist and fine conductor in addition to being a stellar cellist," Eugene explains. "David Finckel of course was a hard act to follow, and nobody was more aware of this than Paul himself. Paul is a different sort of cellist - his sound is different - the cello sound is a foundation of the string quartet's tone. So in addition to sound there's a question of pacing of our interpretations and I think that the rhythmic sense might be a little bit looser now than it was before. A little more expansive than times, especially looking back 15 or 20 years the way we used to play or record the Beethoven quartets, for example, where we were very conscious of B's metronome markings … it's a different experience with Paul and the general tone so to speak in our rehearsals is very relaxed and friendly. It's almost like a social club getting together. But we also have the great joy of playing all these wonderful pieces. Preparing them and then performing them together. There's a really strong collegial sense of enthusiasm." Enter for a chance to win a copy of this recording - This week on New Classical Tracks, you can enter for a chance to win a complete set of these recordings by the Emerson String Quartet. The winner will be drawn at random. Be sure to enter by 9 a.m. CDT on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2016.

Yesterday's ultra-classy set of Queen's Hall performances by the American Emerson String Quartet, with its "new-ish" cellist, the English musician of some two years membership in the group, Paul Watkins, and a man well-known in these parts, was in a league apart. The sheer quality of ensemble playing from the Emersons, with Watkins seamlessly integrated into the group, while retaining his characterful playing style and profile, was almost miraculous to hear. They have this way of getting right under the skin of a piece without imposing themselves on it: there was never a doubt that what we heard yesterday was Schubert, Haydn and Tchaikovsky, as opposed to the composers' music filtered through the performers' imaginations. It's almost as though the group liberates the truth of the music from the score. Never have I heard such beautiful frailty in Schubert's Rosamunde Quartet. And that one, moreover, was a performance that called out for a broader sweep of outings for Schubert's under-exposed canon of quartets. READ THE FULL Herald Scotland REVIEW

One of the greatest quartets in the world today, Emerson String Quartet has been making great music together for 40 years. They've been celebrating this year with concerts around Europe and the United States, and were here in Portland with the summertime Chamber Music Northwest Festival, and their old friend, artistic director and clarinetist, David Shifrin (who appears in this set playing Mozart and Brahms). Violinist Eugene Drucker is my guest in this conversation about the quartet's origins, their Juilliard training (with, naturally, the Juilliard Quartet), Mr. Drucker's own personal association with the Busch Quartet (regarded by many musicians as possibly the greatest string quartet of all time), as well as the group's decision early on to share first violin duties (hint: it's not about sharing the spotlight). The 52-CD set is a gem: from their earliest (1987) recordings, to a collaboration with soprano Renée Fleming, the multiple-Grammy winning Emerson String Quartet continues to delight and inspire people around the world, and clearly have much more to say, and to share. LISTEN TO John Pitman's INTERVIEW

I know a lot of you around here recall watching with admiration and amazement the steady rise of the Emerson String Quartet, as they moved from complete unknowns to a place at the very pinnacle of the string quartet world. That's because you had a ringside seat: the Emersons showed up in our community in 1980, having been appointed to a one-year residency at The Hartt School, the performing arts conservatory of the University of Hartford. That one-year appointment stretched into a remarkable -- and I think we can safely say, never to be repeated -- 21-year ride. One of the hallmarks of the Emerson career -- at least, the first four decades of it -- was the steady string of recordings the quartet put out for Deutsche Grammophon. (Again, mostly because of the way the music business works these days, such a long single-label marriage is itself a phenomenon that will never be repeated.) Thankfully, DG has just issued a plump boxed set containing all the recordings the foursome did for the label. The box runs to 52 discs. READ THE FULL WNPR ARTICLE

"Four decades ago, when Philip Setzer and I began to build a quartet career with two friends from the Juilliard School, we could not have imagined the scope of the journey on which we were embarking..." - Eugene Drucker The Emerson String Quartet are Celebrating their 40th Anniversary with a 52-CD Box Set of the Complete Recordings on Deutsche Grammophon. Documenting the ESQ's exceptional longevity and dynamism – founded in 1976, the collection charts the New York-based ensemble's musical breadth, encompassing virtually all of the important repertoire for their formation.  This 52 CD collection includes their complete output on DG and features highlights such as the 9 GRAMMY AWARDS, 3 Gramophone Magazine Awards; complete cycles by Shostakovich, Beethoven and Bartók; plus String Quartets by Haydn, Tchaikovsky, Schubert and many more. Also included is a Bonus CD with Encores and  Audio Guides. In conjunction with the both the 40th anniversary and box set release, violinist and founding member of the Quartet - Eugene Drucker has made time today to discuss both. Participating Syndicators and stations include: Classical 24, KUSC – Los Angeles, WFMT – Chicago, WCLV – Cleveland, All Classical Portland, WABE – Atlanta, Houston Public Radio, WQED – Pittsburgh, Minnesota Public Radio & German Radio - ARD 

When you see a soprano on a string quartet program, the only work that comes to mind is Schoenberg's Quartet No. 2. When you see Renee Fleming on a quartet program, you might think: Isn't she out of her element? The Emerson String Quartet and the renowned soprano dispelled such notions Wednesday night at Tanglewood by coming up with a real oddity, Egon Wellesz's "Sonnets by Elizabeth Barrett Browning." Schoenberg wasn't entirely absent. Wellesz, an Austrian who settled in England to escape the Nazis, was a student of Schoenberg's, and his settings of five Browning sonnets sounded a good bit like the master's "Pierrot Lunaire" with an amorous twist. READ THE FULL Berkshire Eagle REVIEW

On Tuesday night in Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood, it was the Emerson String Quartet's turn to devote an entire concert to one composer. In this case, the legendary chamber group performed six different quartets by Haydn, his complete Op. 76 quartets. The concert was the first of two by the Emerson String Quartet in Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood this week. Tonight at 8 p.m., the group will perform with soprano Renee Fleming. This year marks the quartet's 40th Anniversary season. To commemorate this milestone, Universal Music Group will reissue their entire Deutsche Grammophon discography in a 52-CD mega-box set this week. The group first performed at Tanglewood in 1981 and has been performing every year since 2001 making this summer the group's 15th consecutive year at Tanglewood. The quartet's current lineup includes Eugene Drucker and Philip Setzer on violins, Lawrence Dutton on viola and Paul Watkins on cello. On Tuesday, the quartet looked sharp in matching, black suits and sounded sublime performing the six Haydn works. READ THE FULL MassLive REVIEW READ The Boston Musical Intelligencer REVIEW

The Emerson String Quartet, one of America's iconic quartets, is coming back for Chamber Music Northwest's summer festival on July 15-17 at Reed College with a three-concert program called "Passing the Torch." This is the Quartet's 39th season, all with the same personnel until three years ago, when cellist David Finckel left the Quartet and was replaced by Paul Watkins. Artswatch talked with Emerson violist Lawrence Dutton about matters of sound, blend, and the body, and how the eminent Emerson is passing the torch to some dynamic young groups.   READ THE Q&A

In the universe of string ensembles, few American quartets have stood the test of time as well as the Emerson String Quartet. Founded in 1976, this group has achieved an enviable record boasting nine Grammys and three Gramophone awards among their claims to success (Paul Watkins smoothly succeeded founding cellist David Finckel in 2013). Their annual return to Ravinia's Martin Theater revealed a pointed yet gratifying display of musicianship Tuesday night, with Haydn's complete Op. 76 quartets making up the entire program. Even spanning nearly three hours with two intermissions, the Emerson Quartet navigated each work with a fresh and recharged originality, putting them comfortably at home with the father of the string quartet. READ THE FULL Chicago Classical Review

Chamber music aficionados look beyond Tanglewood opening night with Joshua Bell on July 8th to the Emerson String Quartet's 40th-anniversary gala four and five days later. The ensemble's concert at Seiji Ozawa Hall on Tuesday July 12th features the complete Haydn Op. 76 quartets. On Wednesday July 13th legendary soprano Renée Fleming joins for very different works, by Berg, Brahms, and Wellesz. The Emerson stands out in the history of string quartets with an unsurpassed list of achievements over three decades: more than 30 recordings, nine Grammys including two for Best Classical Album, three Gramophone Awards, and collaborations with many of the great artists of the time. The arrival of new cellist Paul Watkins, in 2013, has had a profound effect on the Emerson Quartet. A distinguished soloist and conductor as well, Watkins joined the ensemble in its 37th season and infused the Quartet with a warmer, richer tone and joy in the collaboration. READ Boston Musical Intelligencer Q&A with ESQ violinist Eugene Drucker

For a man with nine Grammy Awards lined up on his bookshelf, violinist Philip Setzer of the Emerson String Quartet talks a modest game. "We love all the incredible music that we've spent so much of our lives trying to figure out," Setzer says, looking back on 40 years of quartet playing. "And we've been extremely lucky." Indeed, for the past four decades, the Emersons have been a fixture on the classical music scene. The group that Time magazine dubbed "America's greatest quartet" has played concerts in the thousands and has recorded almost four dozen discs. Even more remarkably, there has been only one personnel change in the quartet's history - the original cellist, David Finkel, was replaced in 2013 by Paul Watkins. In Houston, the quartet's appearances are almost annual events. The group will be in town once again Thursday evening, at Rice University's Stude Hall, presented by Chamber Music Houston. This time, it'll play string quartets by Ludwig van Beethoven, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Dmitri Shostakovich. Setzer recently spoke from his home in South Orange, N.J., about playing, touring and keeping it fresh.  READ THE FULL Houston Chronicle Q&A

Since his debut with the Emerson String Quartet in 2013, when he replaced the cellist David Finckel, Paul Watkins has proved a valuable addition to that eminent ensemble. On Sunday at Alice Tully Hall, it was his gorgeous tone and elegant phrasing in the Adagio of Beethoven's String Quartet in F (Op. 18, No.1) that provided some of the most alluring moments in an otherwise mostly unmemorable afternoon. Mr. Watkins played his soaring operatic lines in the Adagio - the sketches for which Beethoven inscribed with the words "les derniers soupirs" ("the last sighs") - with burnished, glowing tone. The ensemble infused the opening movement with fiery propulsion and detailed nuance. The program was the group's second of three concerts at Alice Tully Hall this spring juxtaposing Haydn's Opus 76 quartets with Beethoven's Opus 18 works, exploring the stylistic similarities between them. (The final show is on May 12.) The Emerson players opened with Haydn's String Quartet in D (Op. 76, No. 2), nicknamed "Fifths" because of the motif of descending fifths woven through the opening movement. The violinists Eugene Drucker and Philip Setzer share duties as first violinist; Mr. Setzer led during the "Fifths" and switched to the second chair for Beethoven's String Quartet in A (Op. 18, No. 5), which came next. The few pitch inconsistencies on the first half of the program were less bothersome than the indifferent playing. But the concert concluded on a lively note with a gracious reading of Haydn's String Quartet in D (Op. 76, No. 5). VIVIEN SCHWEITZER SEE THE FULL New York Times PAGE

The Emerson Quartet, which opened Chamber Music Pittsburgh's season in Carnegie Music Hall Monday, was formed in 1976, with the above violinists and violist Lawrence Dutton. Cellist Paul Watkins joined the ensemble in 2013. The group's unanimity and high technical accomplishment was immediately evident in the opening Haydn Quartet (Op. 76, No. 4). It's nicknamed the "Sunrise" Quartet because it begins with the lower strings sustaining a chord while the first violin plays a rising melody that blossoms into a sprightly theme that dominates the opening movement. Intonation must be perfect and the pulse precise to make the effect, which was certainly the case on Monday. The Adagio movement, equally exposed, conveyed an eloquent simplicity. The folk-like character of the Minuet and Finale that followed was meshed with classical elegance and restraint. READ THE FULL Pittsburgh Post Gazette REVIEW

The Emerson String Quartet, widely considered America's most iconic string quartet, returns to Tucson in October to open the Arizona Friends of Chamber Music's 2015-16 season. This will be the first time the Emerson, sans its founding cellist David Finckel, will play Tucson since it played a recital with UA Presents in 2012. The group's last concert with the Friends was in 2008. The Emerson Quartet anchors a season of quartets performing in the Friends' Evening Series - held monthly from October through April. The Emerson is slated for Oct. 21. READ THE FULL Arizona Daily Star ARTICLE

For nearly 40 years, the Emerson String Quartet has commanded a certain reverence from music lovers. Its polished and authoritative performances, its comprehensive and mighty discography, its fearless embrace of the new and unusual as well as the classics - all have placed this string quartet high in the pantheon of chamber music. For all those reasons, the appearance of the Emersons on the International Chamber Music Series at Meany was an eagerly awaited event Tuesday evening, and the quartet did not disappoint. Even the arrival of a new cellist (Paul Watkins) in 2013 has not disrupted the ensemble's famous unity; if anything, Watkins' energetic approach has revitalized the Emerson's lineup, which includes founding violinists Philip Setzer and Eugene Drucker (alternating as first violin) and violist Lawrence Dutton. Since 2002, those three players have stood, rather than sat, for performances; the cellist necessarily performs seated (on a small podium that places him near the same height as the other three). The Meany program demonstrated the Emersons' remarkable versatility - stretching from a 17th-century Purcell "Chacony in G Minor" to a Lowell Liebermann quartet (No. 5) composed just last year. In between those extremes were two works by acknowledged quartet-writing masters, Shostakovich (his No. 7) and Beethoven (No. 15, better known as the Opus 132). READ THE FULL Seattle Times REVIEW

The Grammy award-winning Emerson String Quartet played University of California at Santa Barbara's Campbell Hall last week and conveyed their usual sense of unity and synchronization abilities. Named after celebrated writer Ralph Waldo Emerson, Emerson String Quartet boasts a high stature in the world of strings as they've debuted at Carnegie Hall, recorded several best-selling Classical music albums and booked to perform at the Conservatoire de Musique of Geneva, Switzerland. The quartet's first selection of the night was none other than Mozart's String Quartet in G Major, K. 387. A classical piece for a quartet's performance, this selection featured contrasts of loud and soft segments, which kept the audience engaged throughout. Unlike many selections of the time, this piece conveyed a sense of unity by achieving a musical conversation between the string players. The audience favorite of the night was Ravel's String Quartet in F Major, a pleasant deviation from the norm of classical string quartet selections. The song allowed the first violinist, Philip Setzer, to share a warming melody with the audience. Then, the second violinist and violist played in synchrony as the piece led up to its climax. READ THE FULL Daily Nexus REVIEW     The chamber includes violinists Eugene Drucker and Philip Setzer, violist Lawrence Dutton and their newest addition, Paul Watkins, on cello. Watkins was seated on a raised podium center-stage while the other members stood on their feet throughout the night, allowing animated movements.

The venerable Emerson String Quartet, which formed at Juilliard as a student ensemble and in 1976 took its name from the 19th-century sage from our backyard, is giving its 21st Celebrity Series concert at Jordan Hall next Thursday, January 22nd, with works by Purcell/Britten, Lowell Liebermann, and Beethoven. The Boston Musical Intelligencer recently spoke with Emerson violinist Eugene Drucker. READ THE FULL INTERVIEW 

The Segerstrom Center for the Arts commenced its 25th season of chamber music Saturday night in Samueli Theater. An old friend was on hand for the occasion, namely the Emerson String Quartet, making its 17th appearance on the series, practically the house band. Listeners here know them, love them and continue to pack the place. As often with the Emersons, their program was a little lesson in music history. Having given us on their last visit Beethoven's three "Razumovsky" quartets, wherein the composer finally grabbed the string quartet genre by the horns and made it wholly his own, the group returned to the treasure trove, performing Beethoven quartets from his early, middle and late periods. READ THE FULL Orange County Register REVIEW

The Emerson String Quartet performed at the Pittsfield - Massachusetts: South Mountain Concert Hall Sunday, Sep. 28, 2014. According to The Berkshire Eagle, the ensemble played with "retrospection and introspection" that supported the gravity and depth of the repertoire. The program included Beethoven's Serioso Quartet, Liebermann's Quartet No. 5 and Ravel's Quartet in F Major. Liebermann's recently completed fifth quartet was commissioned for the Emerson by Music Accord, a consortium of classical music presenting organizations. READ THE FULL Berkshire Eagle REVIEW HERE

It's safe to say that the Emerson String Quartet is among the top such ensembles on the planet. In their more than three decades of existence, the Emerson's  achievements include more than thirty acclaimed recordings, nine Grammys, the Avery Fisher Prize, Musical America's "Ensemble of the Year" and collaborations with many of the greatest artists of our time. The Emerson Quartet performs as part of the University Musical Society series at Ann Arbor's Rackham Auditorium this Saturday night at 8 p.m. Current State's Peter Whorf speaks with cellist Paul Watkins, to preview Saturday's performance and to reflect on his early days with the group when he first joined two years ago. Listen to the Lansing, Michigan: WKAR interview.

The renowned Emerson Quartet just completed the latest of its frequent appearances at Chamber Music Northwest with a pair of concerts last weekend. While they were in Portland, ArtsWatch's Alice Hardesty caught up with the distinguished foursome's new cellist, Paul Watkins, who, after last year's CMNW, joined violist Larry Dutton and violinists Philip Setzer and Eugene Drucker, replacing founding cellist David Finckel - the first personnel change in the ensemble's award-studded 34-year history. READ THE FULL Oregon Artswatch INTERVIEW.

Far from shirking challenges, the Emerson String Quartet has, in its 37 seasons, tended to seek them out. It is not enough, for example, merely to scatter the six Bartok quartets (which the group recorded for Deutsche Grammophon, winning a Grammy Award in 1990) among mixed programs; the Emerson has repeatedly performed all six works in a single long evening.  And evidently such adventuring will continue now that the group has undergone its first personnel change in more than three decades, with Paul Watkins having replaced David Finckel as cellist last year. The Emerson has long played the 15 Shostakovich string quartets (which it also recorded for Deutsche Grammophon, winning another Grammy in 2000); now it is beginning to perform a significant handful of those works at a shot.  On Thursday evening, for the first time, the Emerson played the last five of Shostakovich's 15 string quartets in a single concert, in Seiji Ozawa Hall here at Tanglewood. This program, with the works presented in chronological order and with two intermissions, is more than a test of the players' endurance and stamina, although it is surely that. It also contains several strands of internal logic. READ THE FULL New York Times REVIEW.

Personnel changes in long-established chamber groups can often be profound-sometimes enlivening, sometimes debilitating. The Emerson String Quartet's concert Monday night at Ravinia's Martin Theater showed a new member fitting nicely into a veteran ensemble. David Finckel departed the group last year and his successor, Paul Watkins, is clearly proving a fine addition. Initially a bit reticent in projection, the English cellist was soon blending superbly with the three founding Emerson members, and Watkins' burnished tone and committed playing were a consistent pleasure. READ THE FULL Chicago Classical Review

The Emerson String Quartet, according to its standard biography, "stands apart in the history of string quartets." It's a wink toward one of the things that makes this venerable ensemble special: cellist aside, its members stand, rather than sit. They have been doing this since the early 2000s, when a collaboration with the director Simon McBurney and another with the Cleveland Orchestra inspired them to make the unusual arrangement permanent. So Emerson regulars might have been puzzled to enter Alice Tully Hall on Wednesday and find four piano benches onstage. READ THE FULL New York Times REVIEW.

Detroit's chamber society opens season for 70th Anniversary wtih the Emerson String Quartet, TONIGHT!! Saturday, October 5, 2013, 8 PM@Seligman Performing Arts Center.    READ Detroit Free Press ARTICLE.
 

The Emerson String Quartet stands alone in the history of string quartets as musicians of unrivaled eminence with an incomparable list of great recordings over three decades. For its debut on Sony Classical, the Quartet has selected Mozart's last three string quartets, the "Prussian" quartets K. 575, K. 589 and K. 590. Mozart's three last string quartets, written in 1789 and 1790 after a visit to the royal court in Berlin, were commissioned by the King of Prussia. The King himself played the cello and accordingly, Mozart set out to provide the cello with an especially prominent part. These, Mozart's last quartets, represent the distillation of a lifetime of writing for string instruments in various combinations and genres.   Described by Time Magazine as "America's greatest quartet", the Emerson String Quartet has received unparalleled acclaim for concert and recording activities since its formation in 1976. This has led to recognition with nine Grammy Awards (including two for Best Classical Album, unprecedented for a chamber music group), three Gramophone Awards and the coveted Avery Fisher Prize. Having recorded Mozart's six "Haydn Quartets" as well as the flute quartets, the Emerson have long desired to add more Mozart to their discography. This new album sees them recording Mozart quartets for the first time in 20 years.   The Emerson Quartet says: "In playing Mozart, we always strive for elegance, beauty and style; in the purely melodic passages, we try to emulate the human voice, ranging from the most intimate pianissimo to a full sonority when appropriate. In general, Mozart has played an important role in our concert repertoire, and we learned these three quartets fairly early in our career. But it had been twenty years since we recorded any of his quartets, so we felt that it was time to add more of this wonderful and challenging music to our discography."   The Emerson String Quartet, named after the American poet and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson, is based in New York City. Violinists Eugene Drucker and Philip Setzer alternate in the first chair position, while Lawrence Dutton plays viola and David Finckel is the cellist. Gramophone has noted: "The Emerson's members understand as second nature the importance of clarifying the specific character of individual phrases and balancing them all into an elegant whole, and they can turn on a dime to create quicksilver variations of mood." During the 2011–12 season, their 35th together, the Emerson will perform throughout North America and Europe, for example in Germany, Austria, England, Spain, Switzerland and Italy.

Among the world's paramount quartets, the Emerson String Quartet, formed in 1976, is a fixture of the international concert circuit. Its success, its many acclaimed recordings and its influence through teaching and master classes helped to foster a favorable climate for string quartets throughout the country. Unlike other longstanding exemplars in the U.S. quartet community, such as the Juilliard String Quartet (formed in 1946) and the Kronos Quartet (formed in 1973), both of which have already undergone multiple personnel changes, ESQ had remained constant since 1979, featuring violinists Eugene Drucker, 61, and Philip Setzer, 62; violist Lawrence Dutton, 59; and cellist David Finckel, 61. The ESQ's development as a musical ensemble, its interpretative style, its very sound, had been based on this unchanging makeup. Hence it was news of considerable significance when Mr. Finckel announced he would step down this past May to concentrate more fully on his other duties-among them, his joint artistic directorship of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center with his wife, pianist Wu Han, and of their Music@Menlo festival and institute. The news was equally significant that Mr. Finckel would be succeeded by the British cellist and conductor Paul Watkins, 43. READ THE FULL ARTICLE

In their almost forty years together, the Emerson String Quartet has released over 30 albums, earned nine Grammy awards, and toured the world countless times. This year, the quartet experienced its first change in personnel since 1979, as cellist David Finckel leaves the group and is replaced by Paul Watkins. But for their last recording together before the shift, the Emerson String Quartet has released one of its boldest albums to date. Branching out from their more mainstream repertoire, the quartet has programmed two out-of-the-box pieces for Journeys (out-of-the-box for their standards, at least; most people would hardly find anything shocking in these two well-known and oft-performed pieces). Augmented by violist Paul Newbauer and cellist Colin Carr, the album juxtaposes two late-Romantic string sextets, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Souvenir de Florence and Arnold Schönberg'sVerklärte Nacht. READ THE FULL ARTICLE.

The Emerson String Quartet has already played concerts with its new cellist, Paul Watkins, in Canada, China and Taiwan. But for its first full program with its new member in America, the ensemble chose a casual location: the inviting, open-air Venetian Theater here at the Caramoor Festival on Sunday afternoon. READ THE FULL STORY READ THE NEW YORK TIMES PIECE

The Emerson String Quartet's returns to Durham for Duke Performances at the Baldwin Auditorium on December 7, 2012 with it a new beginning and a new cellist: Paul Watkins. The concert will include of course endings and beginnings. Mendelssohn wrote his last major work, the sixth string quartet, in response to the loss of his beloved sister. Shostakovich faced down his mortality with the brief and chilling thirteenth quartet. Beethoven's seventh quartet represented a giant leap forward from all previous chamber writing in its emotional intensity.? PROGRAM
Mendelssohn:?String Quartet No. 6 in F Minor, Op. 80
Shostakovich:?String Quartet No. 13 in B-flat Minor, Op. 138
Beethoven:?String Quartet No. 7 in F Major, Op. 59, No. 1, "Razumovsky"

Sony Classical is proud to announce the release of the label's second recording by the Emerson String Quartet: Journeys. Winner of nine Grammy® Awards and three Gramophone Awards, the Emerson's new album consists of two string sextets from the 1890s, Souvenir de Florence by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Verklärte Nacht (Transfigured Night) by Arnold Schoenberg. The Quartet is joined by two frequent collaborators, both acclaimed soloists and chamber musicians, American violist Paul Neubauer and British cellist Colin Carr.   On the occasion of this new release, David Finckel spoke with Weekends on All Things Considered about the bittersweet close to to a decades-long partnership. Take a Listen Tchaikovsky's Souvenir de Florence, written in 1890, owes its title to the fact that the main theme of its slow movement was conceived while the composer was staying in Florence. The work is notable for its combination of warm Italianate lyricism and Germanic rigour with Russian dance and song.  Schoenberg's Verklärte Nacht, written in 1899 and the composer's first important work, is recognized as a masterpiece of late Romanticism. Unusually for a chamber piece, it is a symphonic poem, inspired by a poem by Richard Dehmel. A man and a woman are walking through a wood at night. The woman confesses that she is bearing the child of a man she does not love. The man tells her that the glory of the night, and the warmth that exists between them, will transfigure the child, and make it his own.  This is the Emerson String Quartet's first recording since the 1980s of anything by Tchaikovsky, and its first of Schoenberg. Philip Setzer, one of the two interchanging violinists of the Quartet, says that the starting-point in planning the disc was the wish to do "something collaborative"; his violinist colleague Eugene Drucker describes the sonority of the string sextet as "richer, more grounded, deeper" than that of the quartet. Philip Setzer recalls that, when he was looking for a possible companion piece for Verklärte Nacht, "it jumped out at me that the Tchaikovsky had been written in the same decade."  The title of Journeys suggests the inner life of both works. Philip Setzer comments: "Tchaikovsky's trip to Florence was certainly more than just a holiday: he was fighting depression at this point late in his life, and he created a work of uncommon beauty and excitement. But dark currents lie beneath its often bright surface. In the Schoenberg, by contrast, shimmering moonlight transfigures the darkness. The piece is a night journey through love and forgiveness."