FINE ARTS QUARTET

The Fine Arts Quartet, “one of the gold-plated names in chamber music” (Washington Post), is one of the most distinguished ensembles in chamber music today, with an illustrious history of performing success and an extensive recording legacy. Founded in Chicago in 1946, and based at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee since 1963, the Quartet is one of the elite few to have recorded and toured internationally for over half a century. Three of the Quartet’s current artists, Ralph Evans, Efim Boico, and Wolfgang Laufer, have now been performing together for over 25 years. Each season, the Fine Arts Quartet tours worldwide, with concerts in such musical centers as New York, London, Paris, Berlin, Rome, Madrid, Moscow, Tokyo, Beijing, Istanbul, Jerusalem, Mexico City, and Toronto.

The Quartet also continues to record actively, with over 70 works recorded since 1985. The latest releases include: the Franck Quartet and Piano Quintet (8.572009), the Fauré Piano Quintets with Cristina Ortiz (8.570938), the complete Bruckner chamber music (8.570788); the complete Mendelssohn String Quintets (8.570488) which MusicWeb International named a “Recording of the Year 2008”; the complete Schumann Quartets (8.570151) which the American Record Guide in 2007 called “one of the very finest chamber music recordings of the year”; chamber music by Glazunov (8.570256) which MusicWeb International named one of the best “Recordings of the Year 2007”; quartets by American composers Antheil, Herrmann, Glass, and Evans (8.559354), a BBC Music Magazine choice; complete Mendelssohn String Quintets (8.570488); the complete Dohnányi Quartets and Quintets; and the complete early Beethoven Quartets (on SACD). Naxos releases planned for 2009–10 include three Beethoven String Quintets.

Special recognition was given for the Quartet’s commitment to contemporary music: a 2003–2004 national CMA/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming, given jointly by Chamber Music America and the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers. Documentaries on the Fine Arts Quartet have appeared on both French and American Public Television.

For more information on the Fine Arts Quartet, including a complete discography, please visit: www.fineartsquartet.org.

See Naxos interview with Ralph Evans of Fine Arts Quartet.

Members of the Fine Arts Quartet (left–right):
Ralph Evans (violin I), Efim Boico (violin II), Wolfgang Laufer (cello), Nicolò Eugelmi (viola)
Photo: Angelo Tortorella (with modification by Vivian Li)


Photo courtesy of Angelo Tortorella

Albums featuring this artist are available for download from ClassicsOnline.com
A TO Z OF CLASSICAL MUSIC (The) (3rd Expanded Edition, 2009)	8.558212-13
BEETHOVEN, L. van: String Quintets, Opp. 29 and 104 / Fugue, Op. 137 (Fine Arts Quartet, Sharon)	8.572221
BRUCKNER, A.: String Quintet in F major / String Quartet in C minor (Fine Arts Quartet)	8.570788
EVANS, R.: String Quartet No. 1 / GLASS, P.: String Quartet No. 2 / ANTHEIL, G.: String Quartet No. 3 / HERRMANN, B.: Echoes	8.559354
FAURE, G.: Piano Quintets (Ortiz, Fine Arts Quartet)	8.570938
FRANCK, C.: String Quartet in D major / Piano Quintet in F minor (Ortiz, Fine Arts Quartet)	8.572009
GLAZUNOV: 5 Novelettes / String Quintet in A major	8.570256
MENDELSSOHN: String Quintets (Complete)	8.570488
SCHUMANN: String Quartets Nos. 1-3	8.570151