Emerson String Quartet's Final Album, "Infinite Voyage"

Released on Alpha Classics, the disc celebrates the ensemble's 47-year-long journey and their friendship with soprano Barbara Hannigan

Released on Alpha Classics, the Emerson String Quartet's Final Album, "Infinite Voyage," closes their 47-year-long journey as a quartet.

The album features Schoenberg's Quartet No. 2 for soprano and string quartet, alongside Hindemith's Melancholie Op. 13, Berg's String Quartet Op. 3, and Chausson's Chanson perpétuelle Op. 37, evoking the lifelong journey of the quartet members and their lasting friendship with soprano, Barbara Hannigan.

Pianist Bertrand Chamayou joins the Emersons for Chausson's Chanson perpétuelle Op. 37.

Barbara Hannigan and the Emersons first performed Schoenberg's Quartet No. 2 in 2015 and were determined to record it together. "The sheer sonic scope of this work takes us on a voyage into previously uncharted territory," said the Emerson musicians. "It's like a tall, gnarly tree to climb (all the way to another planet, it seems), yet one with deep and emotional roots," continues Barbara Hannigan. "The soprano’s fin-de- siècle primal scream at the end of the 3rd movement, begging to be relieved of love, is a heavy hitter."

To purchase and listen to the album, click here.

Listen to the Emerson String Quartet's Final Recording process below

The Emerson String Quartet has made more than 30 acclaimed recordings and has won nine GRAMMYs (including two for Best Classical Album), three Gramophone Awards, the Avery Fisher Prize, and Musical America’s “Ensemble of the Year” award. They have worked with some of today’s most esteemed composers to premiere new works, and have partnered with soloists such as Renée Fleming, Barbara Hannigan, Evgeny Kissin, Emanuel Ax, and Yefim Bronfman.

Barbara Hannigan will join the Emerson String Quartet for their farewell concerts in Paris at the Fondation Louis Vuitton on October 7, 2023, and in Milan at the Società del Quartetto at the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi on October 10, 2023.

After 47 years of award-winning music-making, the Emerson String Quartet will disband in October 2023.