Presents
Hugo Riemann
String Quartet No.1 in g minor, Op.26
Hugo Riemann (1849-1919) was born in the German town of Grossmehlra. He was widely regarded as one of the most important music theorists and musicolgists of all time. Although he also was a composer, few know this. Most of his works were for piano, however, he left two string quarttets, a piano trio and a violin sonata.
Riemann’s String Quartet No.1 was completed in 1879 and is dedicated to the well-known violinist Jean Becker and the Florintine Quartet, which at the time was one of the most famous in Europe. The premiere was a success and for a while the quartet entered the repertoire of several string quartets, only disappearing after the First World War. In four movments, the work begins with a spacious, Brahmsian Allegro molto moderato. The lovely thematic material is cleverly interwoven. A charming Intermezzo, Adagio non troppo sostenuto comes next and is followed by a Scherzo, allegretto con moto which captures the listener’s attention by virtue of its quirky, syncopated rhthmic theme. The work concludes with a march-like Rondo, allegro risoluto.
Unavailable for more than a century, we are pleased to reintroduce this fine work which truly deserves to be heard on the concert stage as well as to take a place on the stands of amateur players.
Parts: $24.95
