Credits:

Enso String Quartet

Description:

Since Hinastera (19161983) did not compose a large body of work, although the opus numbers of his three string quartets are close together, the First was actually composed in 1948, the Second in 1958, and the Third in 1973a span of about 25 years. Naturally, the changes in his compositional style are striking. The First String Quartet, which incorporates folk music in just the right measure, is a rugged piece reminiscent of Bartk and Stravinsky. The Second String Quartet, which begins as if being driven forward, is a free-form work incorporating the twelve-tone technique. The Third String Quartet, featuring a soprano solo, is a mysterious piece imbued with a nocturnal atmosphere reminiscent of Schoenbergs works. The texts are by Jimnez, Lorca, and Alberti. All are tragic and filled with a sense of helplessness evoking thoughts of death, yet what makes them truly wonderful is the unfathom