Bartókcyclus 2 Doric String Quartet + Jerusalem Quartet

Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven published string quartets in series of six. Perhaps Bartók also wanted to tell his story in six quartets, but in any case he was aware of classical culture. Within his six, the middle two offer the most radical development. The music of the one-movement Third String Quartet, the shortest of all, is perhaps the least accessible of the entire cycle. In the Fourth, Bartók's obsession with symmetry and reflection is ubiquitous.