Richard Wilson writes:
String quartet came into my life when I was about 13. My first cello teacher, Robert Ripley, appeared at our school with three colleagues from the Cleveland Orchestra to play an assembly program. What they played I can’t remember. But I was impressed with the sound they made. It would not have occurred to me at that moment that I would go on to write six string quartets. Nor would I have thought that, over many years, I would hear at least eight well known groups play my works. These range from the Muir Quartet to the Chicago Quartet to the Biava to the Delmé and, most recently, the Attacca Quartet.
What is so appealing to me, and surely to composers in general, is that quartets rehearse carefully, listen to each other, come to know each other’s parts, and take the trouble to work out differences of approach. They find a way to maintain their individuality as artists while fusing their personalities into a convincing organic whole.
That’s the positive side—the benefit--of writing for string quartet. The negative side is that one often finds oneself placed on a program next to one or two of the the greatest composers from the history of music. A shrinking feeling of inadequacy sets in. Then a feeble sense of camaraderie emerges to get one through the experience.
String Quartet No. 1 (1968) in three movements--played by DECODA: Owen Dalby and Anna Elashvili, violins, Nathan Schram, viola, and Yves Dharamraj, cello, on October 9, 2014 at The Kosciuszko Foundation, New York City.
String Quartet No. 2 (1977) in four movements--played by DECODA: Owen Dalby and Anna Elashvili, violins, Nathan Schram, viola, and Yves Dharamraj, cello, on September 21, 2013, at Skinner Hall, Vassar College.
String Quartet No. 3 (1983), performed here by the Muir Quartet, was commissioned by the Walter W. Naumburg Foundation. In three movements, it is dedicated to the then members of The Muir String Quartet (Joseph Genualdi, Bayla Keyes, Steven Ansell and Michael Reynolds) and Leon Botstein. The Muir gave the first performance at Yale University on April 26, 1983. The Delmé Quartet gave the London premiere in Wigmore Hall on July 9, 1984 and subsequently recorded the work for the BBC.
String Quartet No. 3 (1983) Performed by the Chicago String Quartet. Joseph Genualdi and Jasmine Lin, violins; Rami Solomonow, viola and Christopher Costanza, cello.
String Quartet No. 3 (1983) Performed by the Attacca Quartet as part of the 14th annual MODFEST, the Attacca Quartet (Amy Schroeder and Keiko Tokunaga, violins; Nathan Schram, viola; and Andrew Yee, cello) play Richard Wilson's String Quartet No. 3 at Skinner Hall, Vassar College, on February 7, 2016.
String Quartet No. 4 (1998, 2000), performed by The Chicago Quartet, composed largely at the Villa Serbelloni in Bellagio, Italy, was commissioned by the Prince Charitable Trusts and the Chicago Chamber Musicians for The Chicago String Quartet, who premiered the work in its original four-movement form on January 17, 1998 at the 92nd Street Y, New York City. A fifth movement entitled “Gently”, added in 2000, comes between the original first two. The movement entitled “Sadly” was composed in memory of Bette Snapp, a friend of the composer and his wife. Joseph Genualdi, violin; Jasmine Lin, violin; Rami Solomonow, viola, Christopher Costanza, cello.
String Quartet No. 4 (1998, 2000) The Attacca Quartet. Amy Schroeder and Keiko Tokunaga, violins; Nathan Schram, viola; and Andrew Yee, cello.
String Quartet No. 5 2008 was written for The Biava Quartet, which gave the premiere at Skinner Hall, Vassar College, on January 22, 2010. The work is dedicated to the conductor and concert administrator Robert Cole, a long-time friend of the composer and his wife. The Biava Quartet was formed to honor Luis Biava, distinguished conductor and violinist, another old friend of the composer and his wife. Austin Hartman, violin; Hyunsu Ko, violin; Mary Persin, viola; Gwendolyn Krosnick, cello.
String Quartet No. 6 2018 Performed by The Attacca Quartet (Amy Schroeder and Keiko Tokunaga, violins; Nathan Schram, viola; and Andrew Yee, cello) gave the first performance of Richard Wilson's String Quartet No. 6 at Skinner Hall, Vassar College, on February 2, 2019. The work was composed from August to October, 2018, and is dedicated to the Attacca.