The Fry Street Quartet - 2 Disc

4-Channel SACD - Hybrid
Commercial release - String Quartet

This disc plays on:
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This disc contains:
CD Stereo
SACD Stereo
SACD Surround (4-Channel)
Disc 1
Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1827)
String Quartet in A Major, Op. 18, no. 5
1 - I. Allegro 6:38
2 - II. Menuetto 4:38
3 - III. Andante cantabile 9:42
4 - IV. Allegro 6:05
String Quartet in A Major, Op. 132
5 - I. Assai sostenuto—Allegro 9:06
6 - II. Allegro ma non tanto 8:41
7 - III. Molto adagio 16:37
8 - IV. Alla Marica 2:09
9 - IV. Allegro appassionato 6:26
Disc 2
Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)
Three Pieces for String Quartet
1 - I. 0:51
2 - II. 2:01
3 - III. 3:37
Tned Rorem (b. 1923)
String Quartet no. 4
4 - I. Minotaur 2:43
5 - II. Child Holding a Dove 1:29
6 - III. Acrobat on a Ball 2:17
7 - IV. Still Life 3:36
8 - V. Seated Harlequin 1:31
9 - VI. Head of a Boy 0:53
10 - VII. Basket of Flowers 4:04
11 - VIII. Self Portrait 5:12
12 - IX. Three Nudes 1:22
13 - X. Death of Harlequin 3:26
Mark Scearce (b. 1960)
String Quartet 1° (y2k)
14 - I. 4:43
15 - II. 6:45
16 - III. 4:27
17 - IV. 7:06


Winners of the Millennium Grand Prize at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, the First Prize at the Yellow Springs Competition, and prizewinners at the 2004 Banff International String Quartet Competition, the FSQ performs nationally and internationally. At Isaac Sterns invitation the quartet made their 2001 Carnegie Hall debut in a performance that spoke of precision, preparation, excitement, profound heritage, and ultimate satisfaction (New York Concert Review). Their performance earlier that season at the 92nd Street Y was hailed by the New York Times as a triumph of ensemble playing. The FSQ made their European debut with a concert tour of the Balkans sponsored by Carnegie Hall and the U. S. State Department. In 2002, the Fry Street Quartet was appointed the Faculty Quartet in Residence at Utah State Universitys Caine School of the Arts.

About the recording

IsoMike™ (Isolated Microphones) is an experimental acoustic baffle system, designed to address the interference of intrachannel sounds that results in compromised fidelity. For these 4-channel recordings, the microphones were suspended on four arms, separated by IsoMike™ baffles. Most baffles absorb sound from mid- to high-range frequencies; lower frequencies are more difficult to absorb. Here, the unique shapes of the IsoMike™ baffles are advantageous. As lower frequencies flow around the heart or egg-shaped baffles, they are scattered, effectively dissipating their energy. Eliminating line-of-sight between the microphones seems to lower some fidelity robbing cancellations, which reveals a layer of extreme detail and a sense of increased sensitivity. We took great care, therefore, to reduce the noise level within the auditorium during the recordings. -Ray Kimber

www.weber.edu


Equipment credits
Microphones - Neumann M150
Preamp - Millennia Media HV-3D custom
A/D converters - EMM Labs ADC8 MkIV
Recorders - Tascam DS-D98HR
Recorders - Genex GX9000
DAW - Pyramix DSD Workstation
D/A converters - EMM Labs DAC8MkIV
Monitor speakers - Lipinski Sound L707
Monitor speakers - Magnepan 20.1
Monitor controller - Grace Design M906
Monitor amps - Bryston 7BSST
Monitor amps - The Gryphon Antileon
Monitor headphones - Sennheiser HD-650
Cables - KIMBER KABLE Select Series

Jessica Guideri Violin
Rebecca McFaul Violin
Russell Fallstad Viola
Anne Francis Cello


Special thanks
Engineers Ray Kimber &
Graemme Brown
Assistants Brett Terry &
Aaron Hubbard
Editing and
Mastering
Graemme Brown,
Zen Mastering
zenmastering.net
Thanks to: Eric Smigel
Terril Neely