Betsy Jolas & Lejaren Hiller: String Quartets

Concord String Quartet; Mark Sokol, violin; Andrew Jennings, violin; John Kochanowski, viola; Norman Fischer, celloBetsy Jolas writes:"After Quatuor I for strings (1958) and Quatuor II for coloratura and string trio (1964), here is again a true quartet for strings. "I have attempted in this work to present a contemporary view of some characteristic elements of string technique in the form of nine etudes, each of which, following Debussy’s example, deals with one particular aspect of this technique: pizzicato, harmonics, aleatory (No. 7 is in memory of Purcell’s Fancy on one note), vibrato, etc. Several of the movements are played without pause. Commissioned by the Kindler Foundation, Quatuor III was completed in September 1973. The first performance was given at the Textile Museum in Washington, January 7, 1974, by the Concord Quartet, to whom the work is dedicated.”Lejaren Hiller has commented as follows:"String Quartet No. 6 is a commentary on environmental soundscapes, both pleasant