Souvenirs Rolston String Quartet, Miguel Da Silva, Gary Hoffman

• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893): String Quartet No. 1 in D Major, Op. 11:
• 1 String Quartet No. 1 in D Major, Op. 11: I. Moderato e semplice 11:53
• 2 String Quartet No. 1 in D Major, Op. 11: II. Andante cantabile 06:54
• 3 String Quartet No. 1 in D Major, Op. 11: III. Scherzo. Allegro non tanto e con fuoco 04:19
• 4 String Quartet No. 1 in D Major, Op. 11: IV. Finale. Allegro giusto - Allegro vivace 06:54
• Children's Album, Op. 39:
• 5 Children's Album, Op. 39: I. Morning Prayer (Arr. for String Quartet by Rostislav Dubinsky) 01:22
• 6 Children's Album, Op. 39: VI. The Sick Doll (Arr. for String Quartet by Rostislav Dubinsky) 01:12
• 7 Children's Album, Op. 39: VII. The Doll's Funeral (Arr. for String Quartet by Rostislav Dubinsky) 01:31
• 8 Children's Album, Op. 39: IX. The New Doll (Arr. for String Quartet by Rostislav Dubinsky) 00:31
• 9 Children's Album, Op. 39: XIII. Kamarinskaja (Arr. for String Quartet by Rostislav Dubinsky) 00:36
• String Sextet in D Minor "Souvenir de Florence", Op. 70:
• 10 String Sextet in D Minor "Souvenir de Florence", Op. 70: I. Allegro con spirito 10:39
• 11 String Sextet in D Minor "Souvenir de Florence", Op. 70: II. Adagio cantabile e con moto 09:58
• 12 String Sextet in D Minor "Souvenir de Florence", Op. 70: III. Allegretto moderato 06:42
• 13 String Sextet in D Minor "Souvenir de Florence", Op. 70: IV. Allegro vivace 07:07
• Total Runtime 01:09:38

Info for Souvenirs

To us, the Rolston String Quartet, the music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is simply irresistible – and so, a debut album containing only his finest chamber works was an obvious choice. Cherished for his memorable and beautifully simplistic melodies, Tchaikovsky’s music is innately joyous, virtuosic, and heart-wrenching, often all at once – yet never violent in nature. As musicians, we adore the charm and childhood nostalgia that Tchaikovsky is able to encompass from start to finish. In this album, we have selected a work from each of his early, middle, and late periods: his String Quartet No. 1 in D major, selections from his Children’s Album, and his beloved Souvenir de Florence for string sextet. Not only could we showcase a quartet that we treasure, but we were given the opportunity to collaborate with two of the Chapel's brilliant professors: violist Miguel da Silva and cellist Gary Hoffman. We gravitate towards Tchaikovsky’s chamber music more than other composers’ because of his stunning ability to write symphonically: right from the opening chords of the D major quartet, Tchaikovsky expands the sonic possibilities of the traditional string quartet towards that of a symphony orchestra. To round out the program are five delicate and endearing pieces: our favourite selections from Tchaikovsky’s Children’s Album for solo piano, arranged for string quartet by Rostislav Dubinsky, the founding first violinist of the Borodin Quartet.

Rolston String Quartet
Miguel da Silva, viola
Gary Hoffman, cello

Rolston String Quartet
With their debut recording, “Souvenirs” scheduled for a November 2019 release, Canada’s Rolston String Quartet continues to receive acclamation and recognition for their musical excellence. As the 2018 recipient and first international ensemble chosen for the prestigious Cleveland Quartet Award from Chamber Music America, their accolades and awards precede them. In 2016, a monumental year, they won First Prize at the 12th Banff International String Quartet Competition, Grand Prize at the 31st Chamber Music Yellow Springs Competition, and Astral’s National Auditions.

Recent highlights include debut performances at Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, The Freer Gallery, and Chamber Music Houston, two major Canadian tours under the Prairie Debut and Debut Atlantic touring networks, and three European tours with dates in Leipzig, Berlin, Lucerne, Heidelberg, Barcelona, and Graz among others. Their 2019-20 season includes concerts at UCLA’s Herb Alpert School of Music, Texas Performing Arts, Chamber Music Northwest, and Calgary Pro Musica; the chamber music societies of Detroit, Fort Worth, Kansas City, Philadelphia, and Vancouver; and the Louvre Museum. As Süddeutsche Zeitung states, “they showed such delicacy, slender elasticity, impeccable intonation, and such eminent sense of tonal balance…This is a new bright star on the truly not empty string quartet sky of our day.”

Notable collaborations include performances with renowned artists Janina Fialkowska, Gary Hoffman, Nobuko Imai, Miguel da Silva, and David Shifrin, as well as the St. Lawrence, and Dover Quartets. The quartet are associated artists at the Queen Elizabeth Music Chapel, and completed a two-year term as the Yale School of Music’s fellowship quartet-in-residence in spring 2019. Previously, they were the graduate quartet-in-residence at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music. Keeping in the teaching tradition, they have taught at the Yale School of Music, University of Toronto, and the Bowdoin International Music Festival among others. Primary mentors include the Brentano Quartet, James Dunham, Norman Fischer, and Kenneth Goldsmith, and the quartet has received additional guidance from the St. Lawrence String Quartet, Barry Shiffman, Miguel da Silva, and Alastair Tait.

The Rolston String Quartet was formed in the summer of 2013 at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity's Chamber Music Residency. They take their name from Canadian violinist Thomas Rolston, founder and long-time director of the Music and Sound Programs at the Banff Centre.

Luri Lee plays a Carlo Tononi violin, generously on loan from Shauna Rolston Shaw. Emily Kruspe plays a 1900 Stefano Scarampella violin, generously on loan from the Canada Council for the Arts Musical Instrument Bank. The Rolston String Quartet is endorsed by Jargar Strings of Denmark.

Booklet for Souvenirs