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Emerson String Quartet

Classical Couples: Sweethearts Sharing The Stage

Soprano Ailyn Perez and tenor Stephen Costello met in music school. Now married, the couple sings together around the world — as in Gounod's Romeo and Juliet at Opera Philadelphia in 2001. Kelly & Massa Photography/Opera Philadelphia hide caption

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Kelly & Massa Photography/Opera Philadelphia

Deceptive Cadence

Classical Couples: Sweethearts Sharing The Stage

For Valentine's Day, get to know pairs of lovebirds making beautiful music together. "It's always nice to be onstage and get a little alone time — even if there's an orchestra of a hundred and an audience of 2000," says conductor David Robertson, who is married to pianist Orli Shaham.

David Finckel On The Emerson Quartet's Changing Of The Guard

David Finckel is a longtime member of the Emerson String Quartet. Journeys: Tchaikovsky, Schoenberg is his last recording with the group. Christian Steiner/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Christian Steiner/Courtesy of the artist

Deceptive Cadence

David Finckel On The Emerson Quartet's Changing Of The Guard

The quartet's new album of Tchaikovsky and Schoenberg is the last to feature the cellist and longtime member of the group.

David Finckel On The Emerson Quartet's Changing Of The Guard

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Music

Shostakovich at 100: The String Quartets

All week, Performance Today celebrates the centenary of Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich. Today, cellist David Finckel of the Emerson Quartet discusses Shostakovich's set of 15 string quartets, often called the finest set in the repertoire after Beethoven's.

Emerson Quartet cellist David Finckel decodes the String Quartet No. 8.

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Must-Have Mozart

Mozart's 'Dissonance' Quartet

In our weekly Must-Have Mozart segment, Mozart authority Nicolas Kenyon joins Fred to talk about a Mozart String Quartet, K. 465, the so-called "Dissonance" Quartet. That title refers to something at the beginning of the piece that might sound slightly askew to us today, but probably would have sounded like cacophony in Mozart's time. Nicolas Kenyon's recording pick for this piece is the Emerson Quartet on the Deutsche Grammophon label (B0005523-02).

Music

A Classical Mother's Day

Since Sunday is Mother's Day, we took the opportunity to talk with a well-known musical mother and her daughter about how they share music. Pianist Wu Han, and her husband, cellist David Finckel, live with their daughter, Lillian, in New York. Lillian is 10 years old and has been playing piano for several years, and she just started playing violin. Fred talks with mother and daughter about their relationship. Then, from a concert at Union College in Schenectady, New York, we hear Lillian's parents play the Cello Sonata No. 4, by Beethoven.

A Classical Mother's Day

Audio will be available later today.

Review

Music Reviews

Mozart and Brahms

Music critic Tom Manoff listens to a new CD of Clarinet Quintets. The works are by Mozart and by Brahms performed by David Shifrin and the Emerson String Quartet. Manoff says he's heard these works many times, and was very pleased by the intimacy and passion in the performances. (5:15) The CD is called Mozart/Brahms Clarinet Quintets. Performed by David Shifrin and the Emerson String Quartet, on Deutsche Grammophon Records.

Mozart and Brahms

Only Available in Archive Formats.
The Life And Music Of Samuel Barber

Samuel Barber. Gordon Parks/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images hide caption

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Gordon Parks/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images

Music News

The Life And Music Of Samuel Barber

In the middle of the 20th century, when composers were writing with angularity and dissonance, Barber forged his own lyrical, romantic style. By the time he was 26, he'd composed the iconic Adagio for Strings.

Violin Concerto, Op. 14 [Allegro]

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The Decade In Classical Recordings

The Decade In Music: '00s

The Decade In Classical Recordings

From Osvaldo Golijov's cross-cultural musical fiesta to the chestnut-colored voice of Rolando Villazon, NPR Music's Tom Huizenga and All Things Considered host Guy Raz spin a few of the most notable classical recordings of the past ten years.

The Decade In Classical Recordings

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Missing The Cut: More Important '00s Music

The Decade In Music: '00s

Missing The Cut: More Important '00s Music

As expected with any list of its nature, our rundown of the Decade's 50 Most Important Recordings has drawn both praise and criticism, particularly from diehard fans of artists and albums that didn't make the cut. As one user put it in the comments, "How dare they list X, and I see no mention of Y?!" While we did our best to be inclusive, a lot of our individual choices didn't end up on the final list. Here are just a few, chosen by the reviewers who lobbied for them.

Beethoven's String Quartet Of Transcendence

The Emerson Quartet play Beethoven at the Savannah Music Festival. From left: Philip Setzer, Eugene Drucker, David Finckel and Lawrence Dutton Frank Stewart /Savannah Music Festival hide caption

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Frank Stewart /Savannah Music Festival

Beethoven 250

Beethoven's String Quartet Of Transcendence

This Beethoven quartet begins with four dark, uncertain notes, then travels paths of pain and suffering, eventually triumphing in sunlight. Hear the Emerson String Quartet make the journey.

Beethoven's String Quartet Of Transcendence

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David Finckel Bidding Farewell To The Emersons

Cellist David Finckel (l) with his colleagues of more than 30 years. Lisa-Marie Mazzucco/courtesy of the artists hide caption

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Lisa-Marie Mazzucco/courtesy of the artists

Deceptive Cadence

David Finckel Bidding Farewell To The Emersons

Cellist David Finckel announces that he's leaving America's most iconic string quartet — after 34 years.

Hear David Finckel Discuss His Decision

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Brilliant Beethoven By The Emerson Quartet

The Emerson Quartet. Mitch Jenkins/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Mitch Jenkins/Courtesy of the artist

The NPR Classical 50

Brilliant Beethoven By The Emerson Quartet

The Emerson Quartet waited many years before recording all 16 of Beethoven's string quartets. The group's seven-CD, Grammy-winning effort sets a benchmark for interpreting Beethoven's sometimes difficult music.

Ted Libbey and Fred Child Recommend The Beethoven String Quartets

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Schubert Most Sublime: The String Quintet In C

An engraving of Franz Schubert, a year before he wrote his famed String Quintet in C. Getty / Hulton Archive hide caption

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Getty / Hulton Archive

The NPR Classical 50

Schubert Most Sublime: The String Quintet In C

In this bittersweet music, Schubert added an extra cello to the standard string quartet, and in the process created a completely new sound for a small string ensemble. Hear a performance that deeply probes Schubert's personal brand of lyrical melancholy.

Ted Libbey And Fred Child Recommend Schubert's String Quintet In C

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From Mozart To Michael Jackson: Classical Contenders

Greg Anderson and Elizabeth Joy Roe (right) take on everything from Michael Jackson to Mozart on When Words Fade. Brent Cline hide caption

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Brent Cline

Review

Music Reviews

From Mozart To Michael Jackson: Classical Contenders

Performance Today host Fred Child highlights yMusic, a piano duo and the Emerson String Quartet.

From Mozart To Michael Jackson: Classical Contenders

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Mozart Quartets Fit For A King

The Emerson String Quartet.

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J Henry Fair/courtesy of the artists

Review

Deceptive Cadence

Mozart Quartets Fit For A King

After 35 years together, the Emerson String Quartet is still making superb music. Hear them play part of one of Mozart's "Prussian" quartets.

String Quartet No. 23 in F major ("Prussian 3"), K. 590 [4. Allegro]

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The Life And Music Of Robert Schumann

Music News

The Life And Music Of Robert Schumann

Schumann's entire being was music, informed by dream and fantasy. He was music's quintessential Romantic, always ardent, always striving for the ideal. Learn about his passionately creative but troubled life, and hear some of his best music.

Mondnacht

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The Emerson Quartet At (Le) Poisson Rouge

The Emerson Quartet's latest passion is the late string quartets by Dvorak. Lisa-Marie Mazzucco hide caption

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Lisa-Marie Mazzucco

Classics in Concert

The Emerson Quartet At (Le) Poisson Rouge

WQXR Radio

After more than 35 years together, the Emerson String Quartet has performed in the finest chamber-music venues the world over. On Monday night, for the first time, they played at Le Poisson Rouge.

String Quartet No. 8 in C minor, Op. 110 [Allegretto]

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