Ludwig van Beethoven; György Ligeti; David S. Lefkowitz - String Quartets (Quartet Integra)

Information

Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven; György Ligeti; David S. Lefkowitz

• Beethoven - String Quartet No. 16 in F Major, Op. 135
• Ligeti - String Quartet No. 2
• Lefkowitz - Green Mountains, Now Black

Quartet Integra

    Kyoka Misawa, violin

    Rintaro Kikuno, violin

    Itsuki Yamamoto, viola

    Ye Un Park, cello

Date: 2025

Label: Yarlung Records

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This release marks Quartet Integra’s world debut on the audiophile label Yarlung, presenting a program that highlights both refinement and daring. Beethoven’s final string quartet reveals the ensemble’s depth and lightness, while Ligeti’s Second Quartet showcases their virtuosic technique and movement between stillness and intensity. The album also features a new work by Los Angeles composer Lefkowitz, inspired by Monteverdi and shaped by the 2024 wildfires; it opens with a lyrical eulogy and moves toward a cleansing, luminous close. Recorded in Yarlung’s signature single-take style with vintage and custom equipment, the album offers exceptional realism for high-fidelity listening.

Quartet Integra, formed in 2015, comprises Kyoka Misawa (first violin), Rintaro Kikuno (second violin), Itsuki Yamamoto (viola), and Ye Un Park (cello). The ensemble began its studies with Kazuhide Isomura and Nobuko Yamazaki at the Toho Gakuen School of Music and later continued as Fellows of the Suntory Hall Chamber Music Academy. They are now part of the Chamber Ensemble-in-Residence Program at the Colburn School, working under the guidance of Martin Beaver, Jonathan Brown, and Clive Greensmith.

High Resolution 24-bit / 88.2 kHz