• March 10, 2006
  

  Ames Piano Quartet set to release three new CDs

• 
  The Ames Piano Quartet, the resident chamber music ensemble at Iowa State University, is in the process of adding three more CDs to their already vast recording history.|
  
  Dorian Recordings will release a compact disc of three Czech piano quartets by the Ames Piano Quartet in March 2006. This CD, the Quartet's ninth commercial release, will include works by Novak, Suk, and Martinu.
  
  The Quartet has already embarked on its next recording project, a two CD set of English piano quartets, which will be issued by Albany Recordings. This recording is scheduled to be released in late 2006.
  
  The most recent of the Quartet's recordings, a new CD of three contemporary American works, entitled Dark Rosaleen, recently received an extremely positive review in The American Record Guide: "The performances are committed, and so is the music. This is a fine program."
  
  That CD is comprised of recently composed American piano quartets included the featured work, "Dark Rosaleen - Rhapsody on an air of James Joyce" by Lee Hoiby. This one movement, 20-minute piece was written especially for the Ames Piano Quartet in 2000. The Ames Town and Gown Chamber Music Association to celebrate that group's 50th anniversary commissioned it.
  
  Also included on the recording is the piano quartet by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer William Bolcom written in 1976 and "Variants" by Richard Willis, a composer based at Baylor University until his death in 1997.
  
  The Ames Piano Quartet was founded in 1976 as resident ensemble at Iowa State. Since that time, the Quartet has performed over 500 professional engagements in 40 states, in Austria, France, the Far East and January 2003 performances in Cuba.
  
  Members of the group include William David, piano; Mahlon Darlington, violin; Jonathan Sturm, viola; and George Work, cello.
  
  

Ames Piano Quartet