Quatuors à cordes

Description

John Fernström was one of the most prolific Swedish composers of his generation. His compositions are characterized by technical expertise and learned counterpoint combined with fantasy and rich ingenuity. In his string quartets—perhaps more than in any of his other works—Fernström fully unleashed his experimental style regarding harmony, rhythm, and colors. The four string quartets presented here provide a sampling of the most important characteristics of his compositional style. The Chinese characters inscribed on the cover "Xianyue" mean "String Music" and are intended as a tribute to J. Fernström's country of birth.