String Quartets Nos. 1, 2 & 3 Casa Al Dono

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Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco began to focus on chamber music composition during the late 1920s. From this period comes the String Quartet No. 1 in G major, which offers a countryside panorama with rustic serenades and processional themes reminiscent of a village festival. Returning to a much-changed Italy after the Second World War inevitably generated mixed feelings in the composer – the String Quartet No. 2 in F minor reflects these through dissonance and restlessness, though dancing rhythms sound notes of optimism. His final quartet, No. 3 in F major ‘Casa al Dono’, is an effortless fantasia, animated and in part ecclesiastical, which was inspired by memories of his homeland and the friendships he had enjoyed.