Ré: String Quartets Nos. 1-3, Divertimento

Peter Ré studied at Juilliard and the Yale University School of Music, where he studied with Paul Hindemith, and received a Bachelor of Music degree in 1948 and at Columbia University for a Master of Arts Degree in 1950. In his 33 year career at Colby College, Professor Emeritus Ré taught courses in music theory and composition, music history and conducting. Ré has received commissions for works from the Portland and Bangor Symphony Orchestras and the Portland String Quartet (the String Quartet No. 3). He has received awards from the Maine State Commission on the Arts and Humanities for his work as Conductor and Music Director of the Bangor Symphony Orchestra. His twelve-year tenure in that position brought about major changes in the constituency, size and performing ability of the orchestra, which transformed it into a major cultural resource for Maine and which attracted guest artists of international reputation. The works on this recording have been performed by, among others, the Juilliard, Hungarian, Bay Chamber, Vaghy and Portland Quartets. The founding members of the Portland String Quartet have been together since 1969 and have performed in all the major venues of the world. They have received particular attention for their complete cycles of the chamber music of Bloch, Chadwick and Piston.