Also known as The Emerson Quartet Occupation(s) String quartet Genre Classical music | Genres Classical Years active 1976–present | |
Origin New York City, United States Instruments 2 violins, 1 viola, 1 cello Albums Complete Recordings on Deutsche Grammophon Awards Avery Fisher Prize, Grammy Award for Best Classical Album, Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance Members David Finckel, Eugene Drucker, Lawrence Dutton, Philip Setzer, Paul Watkins Profiles |
Emerson string quartet 2014
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.
Contents
- Emerson string quartet 2014
- Spotlight on emerson string quartet
- Members
- Awards and recognition
- Recordings
- Songs
- References
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.
Spotlight on emerson string quartet
Members
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.
Awards and recognition
Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance:
Grammy Award for Best Classical Album:
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
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