Award-winning Ulysses Quartet releases SHADES OF ROMANI FOLKLORE on October 13, 2023
Album on Navona includes Janáček's "Intimate Letters," an early Beethoven quartet and Rhapsody by American composer Paul Frucht
"the kind of chemistry many quartets long for, but rarely achieve." — The Strad
The Ulysses Quartet fuses the power of Beethoven, the raw emotion of Janáček, and the exoticism of Paul Frucht into SHADES OF ROMANI FOLKLORE. The album is released on Navona Records (NV6567) on October 13, 2023.
The contrasting works on this album are connected by the influence of the rich and vibrant tradition of Romani music-making. Each composer drew on this wellspring of inspiration in a unique way, creating music that is deeply personal yet informed by Romani style and spirit.
String Quartet No. 2, “Intimate Letters” is one of Leoš Janáček’s most mature and powerful works. Its title refers to his tumultuous and mysterious relationship with a much younger woman and the hundreds of letters he wrote to her. Janáček’s tormented, obsessive passion and the full spectrum of his raw emotion permeates the piece.
Paul Frucht’s Rhapsody, written in 2018, was inspired by Maurice Ravel’s Tzigane, a masterpiece of musical exoticism of a century earlier. Frucht uses the inventiveness of Tzigane as a jumping-off point, incorporating elements of jazz and other popular American idioms.
One of Beethoven's early quartets, Op. 18 No. 4, lays the foundation for the profound breadth of his later works. The composition is at turns tempestuous, tender, and tongue-in-cheek, and culminates in a rip-roaring finale with a distinctly Romani flavor.
Contact ClassicalCommunications@gmail.com to request a physical or digital copy of this recording.
"avid enthusiasm...[with] chops to back up their passion." — San Diego Story
SHADES OF ROMANI FOLKLORE
Ulysses Quartet
Christina Bouey & Rhiannon Banerdt, violins;
Colin Brookes, viola; Grace Ho, cello
Navona Records NV6567
Release date: October 13, 2023
TRACK LISTING
Ludwig van Beethoven
String Quartet No. 4 in C minor, Op. 18, No. 4
[01] I. Allegro ma non tanto 8:21
[02] II. Andante scherzoso quasi allegretto 7:23
[03] III. Menuetto: Allegretto 3:23
[04] IV. Allegro – Prestissimo 4:18
Paul Frucht
[05] Rhapsody 11:17
Leoš Janáček
String Quartet No. 2 “Intimate Letters”
[06] I. Andante – Con moto – Allegro 6:12
[07] II. Adagio – Vivace 6:12
[08] III. Moderato – Andante – Adagio 5:19
[09] IV. Allegro – Andante – Adagio 7:45
ABOUT THE ARTIST
The Ulysses Quartet has been praised for their “textural versatility,” “grave beauty” and “the kind of chemistry many quartets long for, but rarely achieve” (The Strad).
From 2019 to 2022, Ulysses was The Juilliard School's Graduate Resident String Quartet (Lisa Arnhold Fellows). The group won top prizes in the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, The American Prize, Schoenfeld International String Competition and the Osaka International Chamber Music Competition, and a career development grant at Banff International String Quartet Competition.
The Ulysses Quartet has performed at Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, Jordan Hall, and the Taiwan National Recital Hall, and on the series at Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Basel Kammermusik, Premiere Performances Hong Kong, National Arts Centre and Música UNAM in Mexico City among others.
The members of Ulysses hold degrees from the Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, New England Conservatory, Boston Conservatory and University of North Texas. They perform on instruments and bows graciously on loan from the Maestro Foundation and private donors. Ulysses Quartet is an ambassador for Shar Music's Young Strings of America.