FROM NAXOS NEWS
In the Studio: The Fine Arts Quartet records rare Dvorak December 9, 2019
Recording sessions for the Fine Arts Quartet’s 18th Naxos production took place in Germany at the Andreaskirche, Berlin-Wannsee from 25 to 28 November 2019. The all-Dvořák programme has as its centrepiece one of his rarely performed, complex and wild early string quartets, No. 4 in E minor (B.19). This is complemented by the composer’s enchanting String Sextet Op. 48, in which the members of the quartet are joined by guest violist Anna-Kreeta Gribajcevic and guest cellist Jens Peter Maintz. The recording, produced and engineered by Phillip Schulz, is scheduled for release in 2020.
Founded in Chicago in 1946, the internationally renowned Fine Arts Quartet (violinists Ralph Evans and Efim Boico, violist Gil Sharon, cellist Niklas Schmidt) celebrated its 73rd anniversary this year, continuing to live up to its reputation as “One of the gold-plated names in chamber music.” (Washington Post)
The ensemble made its first recording for Naxos in 2006. Featuring Robert Schumann’s 3 String Quartets, Op. 41, it received the American Record Guide’s Critics’ Choice Award and was described as “One of the very finest chamber-music recordings of the year.” From that auspicious beginning, a happy association between artists and label has continued to produce a steady stream of acclaimed performances of eclectic chamber works.