String Quartet No. 2 in G major, Op. 5

String Quartet No. 2 in G major, Op. 5 (2014)

I. Allegro ma non troppo
II. Andante quasi Adagio
III. Menuetto–Trio
IV. Adagio lamentoso–Allegro

My second string quartet was completed in the winter of 2014. In this piece I tried to rein in the scope and complexity of the musical forms, striving for a sense unity and inevitability. The first movement is at times austere, at times warm and genial. The slow movement is a group of variations on a tender, sighing theme. The third movement is a boisterous minuet with a serene and peaceful trio. The final movement is prefaced by a slow lament, which stands in sharp contrast with with playful exuberance of the ensuing allegro. Just before the end, the lament briefly returns, but playfulness gets the last word. The quartet was premiered at my recital at the Chapel of the Venerable Bede, Miami.

String Quartet no 2 complete