Ariel Ascending (1995)

for string quartet
Commissioned by the Fromm Foundation and Tanglewood
for the Henschel Quartet

I. Begins with a breath, glidin effortlessly
II. Fleeting, delicate
III. Exuberant, brilliant

Duration: 15 minutes

• Mvt 1
• Mvt 2
• Mvt 3

the Henschel String Quartet

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One of my first ventures into quartet writing- I’m still fond of this. The first movement in particular grew out of my reaction to the poem, Ariel, by Sylvia Plath, which has an air of mystery and dreamstate to it. Ariel Ascending was commissioned by the Fromm Foundation for the Henschel String Quartet at the Tanglewood Music Center.

—Christopher Theofanidis