Op . 132
Op. 131 Op.
s Play
n ove h t Bee
95
Plays Beethoven
STRING QUARTET NO. 11 IN F MINOR, OP. 95 1 2 3 4 5
I. Allegro con brio II. Allegretto ma non troppo III. Allegro assai vivace ma serioso IV. Larghetto espressivo; Allegretto agitato; Allegro
STRING QUARTET NO. 15 IN A MINOR, OP. 132
“Heiliger Dankgesang eines Genesenen an die Gottheit, in der Lydischen Tonart”. Molto adagio – Andante
STRING QUARTET NO. 14 IN C-SHARP MINOR, OP. 131 6 7 8 9
10 11 12
SINTA QUARTET Dan Graser soprano saxophone Zach Stern alto saxophone Joseph Girard tenor saxophone Danny Hawthorne-Foss baritone saxophone
I. Adagio ma non troppo e molto espressivo II. Allegro molto vivace III. Allegro moderato – Adagio IV. Andante ma non troppo e molto cantabile – Più mosso – Andante moderato e lusinghiero – Adagio – Allegretto – Adagio, ma non troppo e semplice – Allegretto V. Presto VI. Adagio quasi un poco andante VII. Allegro © 2023 • BSTC-0196 • brightshiny.ninja • All rights reserved.
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Op.
95
Beethoven’s Op. 95 Quartet, Serioso, lives up to its name with dramatic gestures that begin to approach the great heights of his later period. The power and rhythmic vitality of this work lends itself perfectly to the saxophone quartet and, if anything, allows it to be even more Serioso. The Op. 132 Heiliger Dankgesang is a prayer, a hymn, and a tone poem for string quartet. The reverent vocal qualities Beethoven used in this work find a pure and choral delivery on saxophone quartet while also allowing even greater weight and catharsis in his most poignant music.
31
Op. 1
Perhaps the most highly regarded chamber music work in the repertoire, the Op. 131 takes the listener through virtually every sound, emotion, and instrumental technique possible. This version for saxophone quartet brings an entirely different palette of colors to bear while maintaining the emotive and narrative thrust that has kept this massive work foremost in the minds of chamber music performers and listeners.
. 132 p O
Special thanks to our namesake and mentor Donald Sinta for his lasting inspiration.
Our main inspiration as chamber musicians has always come from the iconic recordings of the incredible string quartet repertoire. This is especially true of the Beethoven quartets which we are pleased to present in new, never before recorded arrangements. This recording fuses the great tradition and expressive power of these works with a new voice and aesthetic from the classical saxophone world. Executive produced by Dan Graser, Zach Stern, Joseph Girard, and Danny Hawthorne-Foss. Produced by Dan Graser, Danny Hawthorne-Foss, and Eric Wojahn. Engineered by Eric Wojahn. Mixed and mastered by Andrew Bove. Recorded at Solid Sound, Ann Arbor, MI, August 2022. Cover art and design by Haeg Design.