LaSalle Quartet
Encyclopedia
The LaSalle Quartet was a string quartet
active from 1946 to 1987. It was founded by first violinist Walter Levin
. The quartet played on a donated set of Amati
instruments.
The LaSalle Quartet was best known for its espousal of the Second Viennese School
of Schoenberg
, Berg
and Webern
, and of the European modernists who derived from that tradition, though they also performed standard classical and romantic literature. György Ligeti
dedicated his Second String Quartet
to the group, and they premiered it in Baden-Baden
on December 14th, 1969. The quartet has been credited with the "Zemlinsky Renaissance," as Zemlinsky remained largely unknown until they performed his works. The quartet won the Deutscher Schallplattenpreis
for their recording of his four string quartets.
The Alban Berg
, Artemis, Amernet, Prazak and Vogler string quartets are among the world-famous ensembles who studied performance with members of the LaSalle Quartet.
The LaSalle Quartet was the quartet-in-residence at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and cellist Lee Fiser continues to teach there. Henry Meyer died in December 2006. Walter Levin currently lives and works in Basel, Switzerland. Violist Peter Kamnitzer currently lives with his wife in Israel.
String quartet
A string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string players – usually two violin players, a violist and a cellist – or a piece written to be performed by such a group...
active from 1946 to 1987. It was founded by first violinist Walter Levin
Walter Levin
Walter Levin is a German-born musician who founded and played first violin of the LaSalle Quartet at Colorado College. Levin was also professor of violin and chamber music for thirty-six years at the University of Cincinnati. Since 2002, he has been Adviser of the Chamber Music Chair at the Escuela...
. The quartet played on a donated set of Amati
Amati
Amati is the name of a family of Italian violin makers, who flourished at Cremona from about 1549 to 1740.-Andrea Amati:Andrea Amati was not the earliest maker of violins whose instruments still survive today...
instruments.
The LaSalle Quartet was best known for its espousal of the Second Viennese School
Second Viennese School
The Second Viennese School is the group of composers that comprised Arnold Schoenberg and his pupils and close associates in early 20th century Vienna, where he lived and taught, sporadically, between 1903 and 1925...
of Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg was an Austrian composer, associated with the expressionist movement in German poetry and art, and leader of the Second Viennese School...
, Berg
Alban Berg
Alban Maria Johannes Berg was an Austrian composer. He was a member of the Second Viennese School with Arnold Schoenberg and Anton Webern, and produced compositions that combined Mahlerian Romanticism with a personal adaptation of Schoenberg's twelve-tone technique.-Early life:Berg was born in...
and Webern
Anton Webern
Anton Webern was an Austrian composer and conductor. He was a member of the Second Viennese School. As a student and significant follower of Arnold Schoenberg, he became one of the best-known exponents of the twelve-tone technique; in addition, his innovations regarding schematic organization of...
, and of the European modernists who derived from that tradition, though they also performed standard classical and romantic literature. György Ligeti
György Ligeti
György Sándor Ligeti was a composer of contemporary classical music. Born in a Hungarian Jewish family in Transylvania, Romania, he briefly lived in Hungary before becoming an Austrian citizen.-Early life:...
dedicated his Second String Quartet
String Quartet No. 2 (Ligeti)
György Ligeti's String Quartet No. 2 is a string quartet that was composed between February and August 1968. It consists of five movements:# Allegro nervoso# Sostenuto, molto calmo# Come un meccanismo di precisione# Presto furioso, brutale, tumultuoso...
to the group, and they premiered it in Baden-Baden
Baden-Baden
Baden-Baden is a spa town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on the western foothills of the Black Forest, on the banks of the Oos River, in the region of Karlsruhe...
on December 14th, 1969. The quartet has been credited with the "Zemlinsky Renaissance," as Zemlinsky remained largely unknown until they performed his works. The quartet won the Deutscher Schallplattenpreis
Deutscher Schallplattenpreis
The Deutscher Schallplattenpreis was a prize that the Deutsche Phono-Akademie awarded from 1963 through 1992. Its successor is the ECHO prize....
for their recording of his four string quartets.
The Alban Berg
Alban Berg Quartet
The Alban Berg Quartett was a string quartet founded in Vienna, Austria in 1970, named after the famous composer Alban Berg.-Members:- Beginnings :...
, Artemis, Amernet, Prazak and Vogler string quartets are among the world-famous ensembles who studied performance with members of the LaSalle Quartet.
The LaSalle Quartet was the quartet-in-residence at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and cellist Lee Fiser continues to teach there. Henry Meyer died in December 2006. Walter Levin currently lives and works in Basel, Switzerland. Violist Peter Kamnitzer currently lives with his wife in Israel.
Members
- Walter LevinWalter LevinWalter Levin is a German-born musician who founded and played first violin of the LaSalle Quartet at Colorado College. Levin was also professor of violin and chamber music for thirty-six years at the University of Cincinnati. Since 2002, he has been Adviser of the Chamber Music Chair at the Escuela...
, 1st violin - Henry W. Meyer, 2nd violinhttp://www.holocaustcenter.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=260
- Peter Kamnitzer, viola
- Lee Fiser (joined 1975), Jack Kirstein, Richard Kapuscinski, violoncello
External links
- LaSalle-Quartett integriert seine Sammlung in die Paul-Sacher-Stiftung, nmz.de, March 2002