Composer: Jacques Hétu
Performer: Timothy Hutchins, Steven Dann, Colin Carr, New Orford String Quartet
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Naxos
Catalogue: 8573395
Release: 2014
Size: 320 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
String Quartet No. 1, Op. 19
01. I. Allegro
02. II. Andante
03. III. Andante – Vivace
04. IV. Allegro
String Quartet No. 2, Op. 50
05. I. Adagio
06. II. Vivace
07. III. Andante
08. Scherzo, Op. 54
Adagio and Rondo, Op. 3, No. 1a
09. Adagio
10. Rondo
Serenade, Op. 45
11. I. Prelude
12. II. Nocturne
13. III. Danse
14. Sextet, Op. 71
Highly respected as an educator, Jacques Hétu was also one of the most frequently performed of all contemporary Canadian composers. His earlier hallmarks of polytonality and harmonic tension were rooted in European influences, and as his work matured it became increasingly lyrical and virtuosic. The First String Quartet sees Hétu’s emerging style combine 20th-century techniques with a neo-romantic harmonic language, while the more personal Second Quartet concludes with a hauntingly beautiful Andante in memory of the composer’s mother. The lyrical Sérénade evokes the tranquility of a starry summer’s night. Hétu’s witty Adagio and Rondo was his first foray into string quartet writing, while the masterful Sextet was his final chamber work for strings.