Daniel Kellogg, who teaches composition at the University of Colorado, loves the string quartet. Some of history's greatest composers wrote their most extraordinary music for two violins, a viola and a cello. So Daniel took the job seriously when he set out to write a big statement that he ultimately called String Quartet No. 1. He had worked up to it. He wrote a half-dozen pieces for string quartet before he composed this one.
We visited with Daniel at the place where his love affair with the string quartet began: Harris Concert Hall in Aspen. It's where Daniel first experienced Bela Bartok's six riveting quartets as a 19-year-old student. And it's the venue where his bold, yearning String Quartet No. 1 made its debut last July.
Hear a recording of the world premiere of String Quartet No. 1 -- played by the Grammy-winning Pacifica Quartet at the Aspen Music Festival & School -- in this episode of Centennial Sounds from CPR Classical and Colorado Public Radio.
Explore more music from Daniel Kellogg, Pacifica Quartet and the Aspen Music Festival & School:
- Hear Daniel Kellogg's piece "Scarlet Thread" for solo piano
- Listen to the story of Daniel's Violin Concerto, "Rising Phoenix," premiered by the Colorado Symphony
- Check out another episode of Centennial Sounds recorded at the Aspen Music Festival & School, featuring pianist Conrad Tao playing Julia Wolfe's "Compassion"
- Hear the story of "Glitter, Doom, Shards, Memory," a piece by composer Shulamit Ran performed by the Pacifica Quartet
