American Tapestry.

This article focuses on a recording by the Calidore Quartet featuring American string quartets by Samuel Barber, Wynton Marsalis, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, and John Williams. Barber’s only complete string quartet, composed in 1936 and expanded to three movements in 2013, is performed with attention to its lyrical and dramatic contrasts. Marsalis’s Quartet No. 1, At the Octoroon Balls, draws on Creole culture in New Orleans and includes jazzy, bluesy, and rhythmic elements across selected movements. Korngold’s String Quartet No. 3 is presented with bright tone and drama, compared to other notable recordings, while Williams’s With Malice Toward None, from the film Lincoln, offers a somber, moving five-minute piece. The Calidore Quartet’s interpretations are described as direct, well played, and clear in tone. [Extracted from the article]