CXXVI. CARTER, Elliott: String Quartet #2

CXXVI. CARTER, Elliott (1908-2012)

String Quartet #2 (1959-60)
Introduction
1. Allegro fantastico
2. Presto scherzando
3. Andante espressivo
4. Allegro
Conclusion
The Composers Quartet
(19:56)

Do you have the ears to listen to some complicated, atonal, sweepingly beautiful music?

Carter -- who was still composing when he died at 103-years-old -- is one of those ultra-modern creationist whose works create a definitive atmosphere. If you're expecting major or minor chords, you might be disappointed ... but there is a strong, highly-structured (a)tonality at work.

This second of his five quartets features an important interdependence between the four instruments.

Carter describes it and the intervals each instrument plays primarily:

1. The first violin should exhibit the greatest variety of character, somtimes playing with insistent rigidity (where indicated) but more often in a bravura style. (minor thirds, perfect fifths, major ninths and major tenths)
2. By contrast, the second violin, written in regular rhythm, should observe these rhythms strictly ... (lots of different types of pizzicato!) (major thirds, major sixths and major sevenths)
3. The viola, whose part is predominantly expressive, uses glissandi or portamenti. (augmented fourths, minor sevenths and minor ninths)
4. The cello part contains various groups of accelerating and retarding notes as indicated (by the dotted slurs). (perfect fourths, minor sixths and minor tenths) ...

Notice also the extreme attention Carter gives to dynamic details, and structural rhythmic figures (he occasionally writes out the overall rhythm on an ossia part).

The Introduction is a microcosm of the entire work, keeping the above parameters in mind:

Carter also writes in cadenzas for the viola, cello and first violin, which is presented here (from Movement 3) (0:00):