The Emerson String Quartet, also known as the Emerson Quartet, is a professional string ensemble – in residence at the Stony Brook University. The musical ensemble was previously in residence at The Hartt School located in West Hartford, Connecticut. Choosing American poet and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson as namesake, the quartet formed at the Juilliard School as a student ensemble. They turned professional in 1976, with both of their violinists having studied under the tutelage of the renowned Oscar Shumsky, alternating as first and second violinists. When it was formed, the Emerson Quartet was one of the first with the two violinists alternating chairs.
The Emerson Quartet was inducted into the Classical Music Hall of Fame in 2010. As of May 2014, they have released more than thirty albums and won nine Grammy Awards, as well as the prestigious Avery Fisher Prize.
Long-time cellist David Finckel was replaced at the end of the 2012/13 concert season by Paul Watkins. Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim of the New York Times writes:
One of the characteristics of the Emerson Quartet is that its players (the violinists Eugene Drucker and Philip Setzer and the violist Lawrence Dutton in addition, now, to Mr. Watkins) all have the ability and the instruments to produce a sweet and glossy sound — but do so sparingly. Instead, they establish a chromatic scale of timbres that range from dry and tart over clean and zesty all the way to lustrous and singing. Listening to them pass tiny rhythmic motifs around the group, I was struck by how evenly calibrated these timbres were.
Additionally,
Let’s make one thing perfectly clear: The “old” Emerson String Quartet never phoned one in. But this new group — Mr. Watkins alongside the violinists Eugene Drucker and Philip Setzer, and the violist Lawrence Dutton — complemented their customary power, finesse and unanimity with a fresh, palpable vigor at Tully, and it was electrifying.
In 2002 the Quartet were the Music Directors of the Ojai Music Festival. They also played for the Oscar nominated short film, The Little Match Girl. They have also won the Avery Fisher Prize, and in 2010, were inducted into the Classical Music Hall of Fame, with a ceremony held in 2011. In January 2015, the Quartet received the Richard J. Bogomolny National Service Award, the highest award in the classical chamber music world.
Recordings
Volume I - Dvorák: Quartet No. 12 in F, Op. 96 "American;" Smetana: Quartet No. 1 in E "From My Life." (1990) Book of the Month Records
Volume II - Brahms: Quartet No. 1 in c, Op. 51; Schumann: Quartet in A, Op. 41, No. 3 (1990) Book of the Month Records
Volume III - Borodin: Quartet No. 2 in D; Tchaikovsky: Quartet No. 1 in D, Op.11 (1990) Book of the Month Records
Volume IV - Debussy: Quartet in g, Op. 10; Ravel: Quartet in F Major. (1990) Book of the Month Records
Piston: Concerto for String Quartet, Winds and Percussion (1990) Composers Recording Inc
Cowell: Quartet Euphometric; Harris: Three Variations on a Theme (Quartet No. 2) (1990) New World
Imbrie: Quartet No. 4; Schuller: Quartet No. 2 (1990) New World
Beethoven: Quartet in F, Op. 135; Schubert: Quartet in G, D. 887 (1990) Deutsche Grammophon
Dvorák: Quartet No. 12 in F, Op. 96 "American"; Smetana: Quartet No. 1 in E, "From My Life." (1990) Deutsche Grammophon
Debussy: Quartet in g, Op. 10; Ravel: Quartet in F (1990) Deutsche Grammophon
Tchaikovsky: Quartet No. 1 in D, Op. 11; Borodin: Quartet No. 2 in D (1990) Deutsche Grammophon
Mozart: Quartet in B-flat, K. 458 "Hunt"; Quartet in C, K. 465 "Dissonance"; Haydn: Quartet in C, Op. 76, No. 3 "Emperor (1990) Deutsche Grammophon
Brahms: Quartet No. 1 in c, Op. 51; Schumann: Quartet in A, Op. 41, No. 3 (1990) Deutsche Grammophon
Beethoven: Quartet in f, Op. 95; Schubert: Quartet No. 14 in d, D. 810 "Death and the Maiden" (1990) Deutsche Grammophon
Bartók: Complete String Quartets (1990) Deutsche Grammophon
Mozart: The "Haydn" Quartets (complete) (1992) Deutsche Grammophon
Mozart: The Flute Quartets with Carol Wincenc (1992) Deutsche Grammophon
Prokofiev: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2/Sonata for 2 Violins (1992) Deutsche Grammophon
Schubert: String Quintet in C, D. 956 with Mstislav Rostropovich (1992) Deutsche Grammophon
American Originals: String Quartets of Ives and Barber (1993) Deutsche Grammophon
American Contemporaries: Harbison, Wernick, and Schuller (1994) Deutsche Grammophon
Dvorák: Quartet in E-flat, Op. 87; Quintet in A, Op. 81 with Menahem Pressler (1994) Deutsche Grammophon
Mozart: String Quartet in G, K. 387; String Quartet in d, K. 421 (1995) Deutsche Grammophon
Webern: Works for String Quartet/String Trio Op. 20 (1995) Deutsche Grammophon
Schumann Piano Quintet Op. 44/ Piano Quartet Op. 47 with Menahem Pressler (1996) Deutsche Grammophon
Beethoven: The String Quartets (Complete) (1997) Deutsche Grammophon
Beethoven: Key to the Quartets (1997) Deutsche Grammophon
Meyer: String Quintet/Rorem: String Quartet No. 4 with Edgar Meyer (1998) Deutsche Grammophon
Music of Curt Cacioppo: "Monsterslayer") (1998) Capstone Records
Schubert: String Quintet; Late Quartets (1999) Deutsche Grammophon
Mozart/Brahms: Clarinet Quintets with David Shifrin (1999) Deutsche Grammophon
Shostakovich: The String Quartets (complete) (2000) Deutsche Grammophon
The Haydn Project (2001) Deutsche Grammophon
The Emerson Encores (2002) Deutsche Grammophon
Bach: The Art of Fugue, BWV 1080 (2003) Deutsche Grammophon
Haydn: The Seven Last Words of our Savior on the Cross, Op. 51 (2004) Deutsche Grammophon
Mendelssohn: The Complete String Quartets (2005) Deutsche Grammophon
Intimate Voices (2006) Deutsche Grammophon
The Little Match Girl (2007) Disney
Brahms: String Quartets (2007) Deutsche Grammophon
Bach Fugues (2008) Deutsche Grammophon
Intimate Letters (2009) Deutsche Grammophon
Old World-New World (Dvorak) with Paul Neubauer (2010) Deutsche Grammophon
Mozart: The Prussian Quartets (2011) Sony Classical
Emerson String Quartet: The Complete DG Recordings (2016) Deutsche Grammophon (52 CDs)
Songs
Shostakovich: Adagio For String Quartet2000 1 Allegro vivace assai2005 String Quartet No 2 in D major: I Allegro moderatoDvořák: "American" Quartet / Tchaikovsky: Quartet no 1 / Borodin: Quartet no 2 · 1995