Einojuhani Rautavaara completed his fourth and last String Quartet in the summer of 1975, over forty years before his death. Meanwhile, he had taken refuge in a new romantic-expressive sound, as was the case for numerous composers in the 1970s.
The younger Dane Hans Abrahamsen also found it difficult to associate himself with the avant-garde during these years, but neither with the sometimes vehement neo-expressionism in response to it. In his String Quartet No. 2 from 1981 however, he was still searching for the intimate austerity that later characterised his music.
Abrahamsen’s teacher Per Nørgård combined expressive lines and magical soundscapes in tight structures in his quartets, as is the case in his String Quartet No. 7.
Einojuhani Rautavaara (1928-2016) – String Quartet No.4 (1975)
In three contiguous movements
Voces Intimae Quartet
CD: BIS
Hans Abrahamsen (1952) – String Quartet No. 2 (1981)
- Andante espressivo, 2. Vivo, ben ritmico, 3. Tranquillo con delicatezza, 4. Presto energico
Arditti Quartet
CD: Winter&Winter
Per Nørgård (1932) – String Quartet No.7 (1994)
- Andante – Allegro impetuoso, 2. Lentissimo, quasi non misurato, 3. Allegro con brio
Kroger Quartet
CD: Dacapo
