LaSalle Quartet
The LaSalle Quartet was a string quartet active from 1946 to 1987. It was founded by first violinist Walter Levin. The LaSalle's name is attributed to an apartment on LaSalle Street in Manhattan, where some of its members lived during the quartet's inception. The quartet played on a donated set of Amati instruments.
The LaSalle Quartet was best known for its espousal of the Second Viennese School of Schoenberg, Berg and Webern, and of the European modernists who derived from that tradition, though they also performed standard classical and romantic literature. The Quartet gave the premiere of Witold Lutosławski's String Quartet in Stockholm in 1965. György Ligeti dedicated his Second String Quartet to the group, and they premiered it in Baden-Baden on December 14, 1969. The quartet has been credited with the "Zemlinsky Renaissance," as Zemlinsky remained largely unknown until they performed his works. The quartet won the Deutscher Schallplattenpreis for their recording of his four string quartets.
The Alban Berg, Artemis, Amernet, Prazak and Vogler string quartets are among the world-famous ensembles who studied performance with members of the LaSalle Quartet.
The LaSalle Quartet was the quartet-in-residence at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and cellist Lee Fiser continues to teach there. Jack Kirstein, cellist from 1955 to 1975, died in August 1995. Henry Meyer died in December 2006. Walter Levin lived and worked for many years in Basel, Switzerland, then moved to a senior citizens' home in Chicago. Violist Peter Kamnitzer died in Israel on Feb. 23, 2016, at the age of 93. He is survived by his wife, Dr. Neora “Sophy” Kamnitzer. Original violist Max Felde continued his career in N.Y.C., later moving to the west coast of Canada to raise his family with violinist Aurora Felde. Max Felde continued his musical career as assistant principal viola of the CBC Chamber Orchestra, violist in the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra for over 25 years, in addition to being an accomplished classical instrument maker. Max died in 2005.
Members
- Walter Levin, 1st violin
- Henry W. Meyer, 2nd violin
- Peter Kamnitzer, viola
- Richard Kapuscinski, violoncello
- Max Felde (1946-1949), viola
- Jack Kirstein (1955-1975)
- Lee Fiser (joined 1975)