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Fred Lerdahl’s String Quartets Now Available on PSNY

It's been an exciting month-and-a-half here at PSNY since our launch - and we're not letting the cold weather hold us back. We have been adding more and more works to our catalogue, and we're extremely proud to announce that all three of Fred Lerdahl's string quartets are now available!

Lerdahl writes:

"The First Quartet takes the form of 15 geometrically expanding variations...Its sequel, the Second Quartet, continues the expansion with two more variations of 9 and 13 minutes. The Third Quartet constitutes in its entirety a last expanded variation. At the same time, it interposes reminiscences from the two earlier quartets."

Listening to these quartets (and I would suggest you do so by checking out the recent complete recording on Bridge Records) is both an aural and an intellectual investigation into our emotional response to musical form. Starting from the first chord of the first quartet, and going until the last variation of the third, one can hear Lerdahl's tonal theory in practice, a rich exploration of the possibilities of the string quartet. All three works can be programmed in sequence or performed separately. 

Here's the first part of the first quartet, which sets the precedent for the following two works:

These quartets will make a great holiday present to the Violist in your life! (See what I did there?) 

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