string quartet no. 2, The Edelman String Quartet
Duration ca. 15' (2008)
String Quartet
Available as String Orchestra Arrangement
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Commissioned by Family and Friends of Dr. & Mrs. Robert Edelman.
Premiered by the Carpe Diem String Quartet, Ohio Wesleyan University New Music Series, Delaware, OH, February 20, 2009.
Other performances: Gliss String Quartet, Towson, MD, April 1, 2009; Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Candlelight Series, Baltimore, MD: October, 2009; Carpe Diem String Quartet, Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, OH, September 19, 2010; Leeds, England, November 14-16, 2010; Red Oak, IA, November 19, 2010; Seattle, WA, November 23, 2010; Los Angeles, CA, January 10-12, 2011; Philadelphia Orchestra musicians, Philadelphia, PA, February 27, 2011.
It’s easy to see why the [Naxos] label places so much faith in the composer, born in 1973. The four works in this installment all reveal a great ear for fresh sonorities... the 2008 String Quartet #2 nicknamed the Edelman... with its suggestions of Hebrew chant, offers a solid response to the great heritage of the string quartet form.
—Lawson Taitte, Dallas Morning News, June 2012
Program Note
I was commissioned to compose my second string quartet by the children, family, and friends of Dr. and Mrs. Robert Edelman, of Baltimore, in honor of their 50th wedding anniversary. Knowing the Edelmans personally for many years, I consciously constructed the melodic and structural aspects of the music to reflect their character. The principle motive of the first movement is a fragment of a melody that Dr. Edelman sings every Friday night to welcome the Sabbath. This motive, introduced by the violins in the opening measures, gains momentum until a climax at the center of the movement, after which the movement fades back to silence. The second movement, “Flowing,” is in ternary (A-B-A) form. The A section is a simple, rich, and melodic song – reflecting Mrs. Edelman’s warm and caring personality. The final movement is full of kinetic energy and motion, concluding the composition with an upbeat and vivacious ending, also an allusion to the Edelman’s very positive attitude on life. The quartet was premiered on July 6, 2008 by Ivan Stefanovic, Greg Mulligan, Christian Colberg and Ilya Finkelshteyn at a private reception in honor of the Edelman’s 50th wedding anniversary The Carpe Diem String Quartet recorded this quartet for a Naxos CD of Leshnoff’s chamber music.