Claus Adam: String Quartet & Piano Sonata
Liner Notes   Cat. No. NWCRL478     Release Date: 2011-04-15
American String Quartet (Mitchell Stern and Laurie Carney, violinists; Daniel Avshalomov, viola; David Geber, cello); Jacob Maxin, piano

Claus Adam wrote:

"The String Quartet '75 is actually my second quartet, the other one being an early attempt performed by the Juilliard Quartet in 1949 for the ISCM long before I had become the cellist of the Ensemble. This one was commissioned by the Naumburg Foundation for the American String Quartet. The work is clearly divided into two parts. The second part being in scordatura (discussed below) needs a few minutes of some complicated tuning...

Jacob Maxin writes:

"I met Claus when I was in my mid-teens. I too was a pupil of Stefan Wolpe (and the piano student of his remarkable and vibrant wife, Irma). As an early and eager modernist, I played the music of Wolpe and of his pupils.

"Claus asked me to work on the sonata with him and I played the first performance in 1948, when I was 18.

"During the next years, I played the Sonata many times. People who heard it said it was a 'tour de force,' but I, young and ignorant, navigated its rapids easily. In my present sober maturity, the tempi are a bit more deliberate, and I know too well the dangers of the rapids. But just recently, in preparation for this recording, I played the Sonata for a few friends, and to my delight they said, 'Tour de force.' It must be the music!"

This title, originally issued on the CRI label, is now available as a burn-on-demand CD (CD-R) or download in MP3/320, FLAC or WAV formats. CD-Rs come in a protective sleeve; no print booklet or jewel case included. Liner notes are accessible via the link above.

Various Artists

Claus Adam: String Quartet & Piano Sonata

MP3/320 $13.00
FLAC $13.00
WAV $13.00
CD-R $13.00
CD-Rs come in a protective sleeve; no print material or jewel case included.
A *.pdf of the notes may be accessed here free of charge.
   Liner Notes



Track Listing

String Quartet: Prima Parte
Claus Adam
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String Quartet: Seconda Parte
Claus Adam
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Piano Sonata: I. -
Claus Adam
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Piano Sonata: II. -
Claus Adam
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Piano Sonata: III. -
Claus Adam
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