String Quartet No. 1 

Commissioned, recorded and premiered by the Apollo Chamber Players on February 4, 2017 at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

String Quartet No. 1 in E Flat Major by Malek Jandali (MalekJandali.com) consists of six short movements that integrate Syrian folk melodies into a classical Western string quartet. Most of the thematic material is derived from the rich musical heritage of ancient Aleppo. Each of the six movements represents a traditional melody colored with unique harmonies and interesting rhythmic patterns. This unique combination is introducing a new vocabulary into the Western chamber music literature while preserving the beauty of the cultural identity of Syria.

A solemn introduction, Moderato, transports us to ancient Syria and the rich musical heritage of Aleppo. The next Moderato is also based on a folk melody, although it possesses unexpected chromatic elements. The third movement is marked Vivo and consists of a traditional Syrian melody, which undergoes several variations with counterpoint. By contrast, the following Andantino in 5/8 is technically a little gem, with personality and grace in the melody. The dreamy slow movement, an Adagio, immediately creates a mood characterized by a melody in 5/4 (simplified from the original 10/8) and rich harmonic invention, clearly inspired by Jandali’s Syrian heritage.

The impetuously energetic finale rounds off the work with the sounds of authentic Arabic maqams (modes), which demonstrates the extent of Jandali’s technical progress in writing for chamber music and his skills to fuse Syrian melodies in Western classical forms. This work was written in the summer of 2016 in New York City, at the time when Aleppo was being bombed and destroyed. The World Premiere was performed by the Apollo Chamber Players at Carnegie Hall on February 4, 2017.

String Quartet No. 1 in E Flat Major

I Moderato 
II Moderato 
III Vivo
IV Andantino 
V Adagio 
VI Allegro Molto