THE ELSIE OWEN STRING QUARTET:
Elsie Owen (Violin); Jean Ie Fevre (violin); Dorothy Lee (viola); Hildegarde Arnold (violoncello)
Quartet in D, Op. 1 1 .... Tchaikovsky i. Moderato e semplice, Allegro giusto ; 2. Andante cantabile ; 3. Scherzo: Allegro non tanto, and Trio; 4. Finale: Allegro giusto
THIS beautiful Quartet, which some assert to be characteristic much more of Tchaikovsky than of orthodox chamber music, was his first contribution to his somewhat meagre list of chamber works. It is mainly remarkable for the celebrated Andante Cantabile, which has been extracted from the Quartet and arranged for almost every conceivable combination beyond the original arrangement for stringed instruments. In this movement, the second, Tchaikovsky surrendered completely to his gift of creating exquisite and haunting melody, even to the extent of making it, even in the original, far more a violin solo with accompaniment than a model of orthodox quartet construction.