Why Daniel Kellogg’s String Quartet No. 1 Isn’t Actually His First String Quartet

June 9, 2018

Daniel Kellogg, who teaches composition at the University of Colorado, loves the string quartet. Some of history's greatest composers wrote their most extraordinary music for two violins, a viola and a cello. So Daniel took the job seriously when he set out to write a big statement that he ultimately called String Quartet No. 1. He had worked up to it. He wrote a half-dozen pieces for string quartet before he composed this one.

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We visited with Daniel at the place where his love affair with the string quartet began: Harris Concert Hall in Aspen. It's where Daniel first experienced Bela Bartok's six riveting quartets as a 19-year-old student. And it's the venue where his bold, yearning String Quartet No. 1 made its debut last July.  

Hear a recording of the world premiere of String Quartet No. 1 -- played by the Grammy-winning Pacifica Quartet at the Aspen Music Festival & School -- in this episode of Centennial Sounds from CPR Classical and Colorado Public Radio.

Explore more music from Daniel Kellogg, Pacifica Quartet and the Aspen Music Festival & School: