New Orford String Quartet, Timothy Hutchins, Steven Dann, Colin Carr - Hétu: Complete Chamber Works for Strings (2014)

Tracklist

01. String Quartet No. 1, Op. 19: I. Allegro
02. String Quartet No. 1, Op. 19: II. Andante
03. String Quartet No. 1, Op. 19: III. Andante - Vivace
04. String Quartet No. 1, Op. 19: IV. Allegro
05. String Quartet No. 2, Op. 50: I. Adagio
06. String Quartet No. 2, Op. 50: II. Vivace
07. String Quartet No. 2, Op. 50: III. Andante
08. String Quartet No. 2, Op. 50: Scherzo, Op. 54
09. Adagio and Rondo, Op. 3 No. 1a: Adagio
10. Adagio and Rondo, Op. 3 No. 1a: Rondo
11. Serenade, Op. 45: I. Prélude
12. Serenade, Op. 45: II. Nocturne
13. Serenade, Op. 45: III. Danse
14. Serenade, Op. 45: Sextet, Op. 71

Highly respected as an educator, Jacques Hétu was also one of the most frequently performed of all contemporary Canadian composers. His earlier hallmarks of polytonality and harmonic tension were rooted in European influences, and as his work matured it became increasingly lyrical and virtuosic. The First String Quartet sees Hétu’s emerging style combine 20th-century techniques with a neo-romantic harmonic language, while the more personal Second Quartet concludes with a hauntingly beautiful Andante in memory of the composer’s mother. The lyrical Sérénade evokes the tranquility of a starry summer’s night. Hétu’s witty Adagio and Rondo was his first foray into string quartet writing, while the masterful Sextet was his final chamber work for strings.

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