John Corigliano, Berthold Goldschmidt

String Quartet

This 35-minute work is in five movements which bears a resemblance to the arch-form principales of Bartok's fourth quartet. The quartet is based upon a motto composed of even repetitions of a single tone, and a sequence of disjunct minor thirds. There are also four pitch centers recurring throughout the work: C, C-sharp, G and G-sharp. The String Quartet was commissioned by the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts for the Cleveland Quartet. The first performance was on Oct 26 1995 by the Cleveland Quartet.