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Parker Quartet opens 2016 -17 season
with September 9 CD release
Recording of
Mendelssohn’s Quartets Op. 44, Nos. 1 and 3
first recording in new relationship with Nimbus Records
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The Grammy-Award winning Parker Quartet (Daniel Chong and Ying Xue, violins; Jessica Bodner, viola, Kee-Hyun Kim, cello) begins their 2016-17 season with the release of their latest recording featuring Mendelssohn’s String Quartets Op. 44 Nos. 1 & 3. The CD is an example of the composer’s ability to, as violinist Daniel Chong writes in the liner notes “…channel the inner, youthful soul in all of us.”
Recorded in 2015 at Mechanics Hall in Worcester, Massachusetts, considered one of the world’s great concert halls for its superb acoustics, the approximately 62 – minute CD is the first recording in the quartet’s new relationship with international recording label Nimbus Records. The quartet has previously appeared on the label as guest collaborators on a recording of works by Augusta Read Thomas.
The CD will be released both digitally and in hard copy on Friday, September 9th.
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Renowned for their dynamic interpretations and polished, expansive colors, the Parker Quartet has rapidly distinguished itself as one of the preeminent ensembles of its generation, and is celebrated for their inspiring performances, luminous sound, and exceptional musicianship. In demand worldwide, the Quartet has appeared at the most important venues worldwide since its founding in 2002.
“…it was the playing… that really impressed. [T]he ensemble’s exceptional virtuosity was clear right out of the gate…” –The Washington Post
“superb” – The Boston Musical Intelligencer
The Parker Quartet has made acclaimed recordings for Zig-Zag Territoires, Innova Records, and Naxos. Their Naxos recording of Gyorgy Ligeti’s complete works for string quartet won the 2011 Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance (the last string quartet to win this category). In 2015, Innova Records released the world premiere recording of American composer Jeremy Gill’s “Capriccio” written for the Quartet through a Chamber Music America commissioning grant. Most recently, in April 2016, the quartet performed composer Augusta Read Thomas’s world premiere recording of Helix Spirals for string quartet on the CD “Of Being is a Bird” for Nimbus Records.
Performance highlights of the 2016-17 season include the ensemble’s ongoing concert series at Harvard as the Blodgett Artists-in-Residence; a January 2017 European tour featuring performances with violist Kim Kashkashian; and two concerts in Washington, DC: at the National Gallery of Art and with jazz pianist Billy Childs at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Other performances also include Annapolis Concerts at St. John’s College, Mary Anne Rennolds Chamber Concert Series at VCU, concerts at South Carolina University as the School of Music’s Quartet-in-Residence, the Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival, and the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society.
Founded and currently based in Boston, the Parker Quartet’s numerous honors include winning the Concert Artists Guild Competition, the Grand Prix and Mozart Prize at France’s Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition, and Chamber Music America’s prestigious Cleveland Quartet Award. Now Blodgett Artists-in-Residence at Harvard University’s Department of Music, and also in residence at USC School of Music, the Quartet’s numerous residencies have included serving as Artists-in-Residence at the University of St. Thomas (2012-2014), Quartet-in-Residence at the University of Minnesota (2011- 2012), Quartet-in-Residence with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra (2008-2010), and as the first-ever Artists-in-Residence with Minnesota Public Radio (2009-2010). |
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More information on the Parker Quartet, including upcoming performances, can be found at:
Mendelssohn String Quartets Op. 44 Nos. 1 & 3 is available for pre-order at Itunes and Amazon.com at the following links (click link to be directed to that page):
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