Three of the greatest opera composers from the 19th and early 20th centuries are heard on this recording in their only works for string quartet. Richard Strauss’s String Quartet in A major is a youthful work which shows the classical influence of Haydn, while Puccini’s Crisantemi is a brief elegy charged with great emotional intensity. Verdi’s String Quartet in E minor is his only significant chamber work, written at the age of sixty when he was at the height of his fame. The Ensō Quartet’s GRAMMY®-nominated recording of Ginastera’s complete quartets (8570780) was acclaimed by MusicWeb International for “string quartet playing of jawdropping prowess”.