{"product_id":"korngold-alma-quartet-string-quartets-2-4","title":"Alma Quartet: String Quartets 2 \u0026 3 - COMPACT DISCS","description":"\u003cb\u003eTitle: \u003c\/b\u003eString Quartets 2 \u0026amp; 3\u003cbr\u003e\n                                         \u003cb\u003eArtist: \u003c\/b\u003eAlma Quartet\u003cbr\u003e\n                                         \u003cb\u003eLabel: \u003c\/b\u003eChallenge Classics\u003cbr\u003e\n                                         \u003cb\u003eProduct Type: \u003c\/b\u003eCOMPACT DISCS\u003cbr\u003e\n                                         \u003cb\u003eUPC: \u003c\/b\u003e608917286922\u003cbr\u003e\n                                         \u003cb\u003eGenre: \u003c\/b\u003eClassical\u003cbr\u003e\n                                         \u003cb\u003eRelease Date: \u003c\/b\u003e2021-11-19\u003cbr\u003e\n                                         \u003cb\u003eNumber of Discs: \u003c\/b\u003e1\u003cbr\u003e\n                                         \n                                         \u003cbr\u003e\n                                         \n                                         \n                                         Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897-1957) was a genius. Naturally he was most widely known and rewarded as one of the founding composers of Hollywood film music, but he is not a particularly well-known composer in the classical music world. His three string quartets are surely masterpieces and can be seen as modern tone poems imbued with beautiful melancholy and Viennese charm. A child prodigy, Korngold wrote some of the most heart-wrenching melodies, which are sure to leave any listener longing for more. His String Quartet No. 2, Op. 26 (1933) was written just before Korngold moved to Hollywood and is full of musical imagery of Vienna, with gestures towards the waltzes of Johan Strauss II as well as the intricate lyricism of Richard Strauss. A fierce anti-serialist, Korngold was determined that it was still possible to stretch the boundaries of tonality without adapting to the 12-tone technique. The String Quartet No. 3, Op. 34 (1945) is full of themes that he used in his film scores and was written when Korngold was suffering from deep depression. The quartet is much darker. Why did we choose to tackle Korngold's music for this unique project of a direct-to-disc recording on vinyl? The music resonates deeply with us, as it represents the epitome of late romanticism and lyrical expression. We all have a profound love for romantic music and after listening to some recordings of his quartets we knew instantly these were the perfect fit for us. It was definitely a challenge to understand the idiom in Korngold's writing. Our individual personalities as well as the Alma sound is clearly audible.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTracks:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAudio Sample:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n                                           \u003ci\u003eAll soundclips are provided by Tidal and are for illustrative purposes only. For some releases, the tracks listed may not accurately represent the tracks on the physical release.\u003c\/i\u003e\n                                           \u003cbr\u003e\n                                           \u003ciframe src=\"https:\/\/embed.tidal.com\/albums\/201418639\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"width:100%;height:700px\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e","brand":"Alma Quartet","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":39644387835975,"sku":"42120278","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2976\/0132\/files\/4018060-2798007.jpg?v=1711748522","url":"https:\/\/tower.com\/products\/korngold-alma-quartet-string-quartets-2-4","provider":"Tower Records","version":"1.0","type":"link"}