Telegraph Quartet

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Acclaimed Telegraph Quartet, now in residency at the School of Music, Theatre & Dance, performs a recital. The program highlights music shaped by the idea of revisitation – it includes George Rochberg’s String Quintet (performed with cellist Norman Fischer); Franz Joseph Haydn’s String Quartet Op. 76, No. 2 “Quinten”; and Osvaldo Golijov’s Ever Yours, a string octet performed with Fischer, violist Matt Albert, and violinists River Sawchyn and Aidan Krieger. Composed in different eras, these works by Rochberg, Haydn, and Golijov each center on the idea of returning to something: musical ideas embraced before or the meanings behind emotions that influence the composers’ work.

Initially known for his use of serialism – an approach to composing that focuses on creating sequences using pitches, rhythms, dynamics, or other musical elements – Rochberg turned to writing music with a more melodic style after the death of his son in 1964. Rochberg claimed he couldn’t fully express his grief in music that used serialism’s pattern-focused approach. His 1982 String Quintet reflects Rochberg returns to the familiarity of more traditional melodic expression, and though critics thought it was a creative regression, the music still conveys what Rochberg viewed as an expanded emotional range.

Haydn’s String Quartet Op. 76, No. 2 “Quinten” bucked the composer’s trend of composing grand, bright, vibrant music and is instead written almost entirely in D minor, which is often described as the saddest and most melancholy of all keys. The piece is nicknamed “Quinten,” meaning fifths, because of Haydn’s frequent use of this foundational interval between notes. Composed when he was in his 60s, after a lifetime of writing some of the most sophisticated, expressive, and innovative works of his time, this quartet showcases Haydn’s ability to create impressive work even with the most basic elements.

After being asked to compose an octet for the Amsterdam String Quartet Biennale, Osvaldo Golijov re-read letters Vincent Van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo. The small but consistent detail of Van Gogh’s letters closing with “ever yours” prompted Golijov to reflect on the enduring bonds between himself, the St. Lawrence Quartet, and their late first violinist, co-founder, and force of nature, Geoff Nuttall, to whom the octet is dedicated. At the time, Nuttall was battling pancreatic cancer, which would ultimately take his life. In thinking about Nuttall, Golijov came to consider the idea of Van Gogh’s “ever yours” mentality and how attention can connect to love. Through that attention-minded lens, Golijov saw a bond between Nuttall, Van Gogh, and Haydn, a composer of whom Nuttall was especially fond, ultimately connecting the three across time and creative spaces.

The Telegraph Quartet was truly honored to work with Nuttall, the St. Lawrence Quartet, and Golijov in the actual formation of the work. Golijov composed the music almost before the ensemble’s very ears, using the instrumentation of the octet and aesthetic feedback from the Telegraph’s players to stimulate his own creative process. The work was dedicated to Nuttall, who, along with the St. Lawrence and Telegraph Quartets, premiered the work at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

ABOUT TELEGRAPH QUARTET
Erin Chin & Joseph Maile, violins
Pei-Ling Lin, viola
Jeremiah Shaw, cello

The TELEGRAPH QUARTET formed in 2013 with an equal passion for standard and contemporary chamber music repertoire. Described by the San Francisco Chronicle as “…an incredibly valuable addition to the cultural landscape” and “powerfully adept… with a combination of brilliance and subtlety,” the Telegraph Quartet was awarded the prestigious 2016 Walter W. Naumburg Chamber Music Award and the Grand Prize at the 2014 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition. The quartet is currently the quartet-in-residence at the University of Michigan.

The quartet has performed in New York City’s Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, San Francisco’s Herbst Theatre, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s Chamber Masters Series, and at festivals including the Chautauqua Institute, Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival, and the Emilia Romagna Festival. They have collaborated with pianists Leon Fleisher and Simone Dinnerstein; cellists Norman Fischer and Bonnie Hampton; violinist Ian Swensen; and the St. Lawrence Quartet and Henschel Quartett. A fervent champion of 20th- and 21st-century repertoire, the Telegraph Quartet has premiered works by Osvaldo Golijov, John Harbison, Robert Sirota, and Richard Festinger.

In 2023, the Telegraph Quartet released 20th Century Vantage Points: Divergent Paths, the first in a trilogy of recordings on Azica Records exploring the string quartets of the first half of the 20th century – an era of music that the group has felt especially called to perform since its formation. Divergent Paths features two works that (to the best of the quartet’s knowledge) have never been recorded on the same album before: Maurice Ravel’s String Quartet in F Major and Arnold Schoenberg’s String Quartet no. 1 in D minor, op. 7. The quartet’s new album, 20th Century Vantage Points: Edge of the Storm is out now on Azica Records.

http://www.telegraphquartet.com