Op. 14 1: Streichquartettfassung der Klaviersonate-This fantastic volume contains Beethoven's String Quartets Op.18 which is the string quartet version of his Piano Sonata Op.14 No.1. Inside there are the complete sets of parts for each individual instrument forthese grand and powerful sonatas. This is the Henle Verlag Urtext Edition which provides one of the most authoriaitve and accurate versions available.

Sir Edward Elgar was born in Worcester in 1857. Until the outstanding success of the 'Enigma' Variations in 1899 he was considered a 'provincial' composer - and a largely self taught one at that.In the earlier part of Elgar's career as a composer he wrote several short pieces which became very popular indeed. Chanson de nuit is one such the second of a pair (Chanson de Matin the other being) which carried his name far and wide before his larger orchestra works appeared. It was published in several versions at once: for string orchestra for small orchestra for violin and piano and so on - so it is almost impossible to say with any degree of certainty which was theoriginal version. This arrangement makes a useful addition to the repertoire for string quartet.

Work dating from 1952-58. Programme note: The spectrum of sound the gesticulation in short the very nature of the strings has always had a central place in my output demonstrated by the numbers of string quartets concertos with string soloist chamber and solo works. The interest dates back to my school years when I was fortunate to be able to compose for a cello-playing schoolmate and to accompany him on the piano. I discovered then the innumerable nuances of sound and playing varieties offered by just one bow four strings and five fingers.. My second string quartet Quartetto Brioso has a firm root in the Nordic traditionand is strongly inspired by Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) and my teacher Vagn Holmboe (1909-96). Per Nørgård

Cheryl Frances-Hoad's The Dreams That Fly from Me for solo String Quartet and String Orchestra. Score. 'The Dreams That Fly From Me is a ten minute work for solo string quartet and string orchestra. It is in two movements (one slow one fast) that are played without a break. I spent ten years at the Yehudi Menuhin School (a specialist music school for string and piano) growing up so this piece cannot help but be strongly influenced by the music I played in the school orchestra during this time. In particular the work is influenced by Elgar’s Introduction and Allegro Strauss’s Metamorphosen (fortwenty-three solo strings) and Tippett’s Concerto for Double String Orchestra although the harmonic language of the piece (which is essentially very jazzy) helps to obscure these musical references. In terms of extra musical inspiration the work was inspired by a poem by Ivan Goll called Bloodhound which includes the lines “Catch the dreams that fly off from me.... And savage the ankles of my fleeting angel” I was inspired by the idea of a “fleeting angel” which at a time when I had been having difficulties composing seemed very poignant: the angel of the poem seemed to be a poetic representation of my inspiration. The Dreams That Fly From Me was premiered by the Szymanowsky Quartet and the Northern Sinfonia (Bradley Creswick director) at Hovingham Hall on the 28th July 2013 as part of the 2013 Ryedale Festival.' - Cheryl Frances-Hoad

Gabriel Fauré's only string quartet which was composed in 1923-24 is the composer?s final work and was written at the suggestion of his publisher Jacques Durand.Until then Fauré had always put off writing a string quartet evidently because of Beethoven?s imposing shadow. When Fauré composed the quartet he was already extremely ill. He added dynamics and slurs only in some parts of the exposition of the first movement and then asked his former pupil Jean Roger-Ducasse to complete the work. Roger-Ducasse?s additions were however very extensive; he even altered and supplemented some of Fauré?s own markings in the exposition.Bärenreiter's first ever scholarlycritical edition of the quartet based on vol. V/3 of the edition 'Gabriel Fauré: ?vres complètes' begun in August 2010 utilises all sources including the composer?s letters which provide valuable insights into the origins of the composition. In particular Fauré?s penultimate work the Piano Trio op. 120 was used to guide the editor with his emendations.