String Quartet No. 2 (Nielsen) String Quartet No. 2 (Nielsen) Carl Nielsen's String Quartet No. 2 in F minor or Quartet for Two Violins, Viola and Cello in F minor, Opus 5, was composed in 1890, partly in Denmark but mostly in Germany where the composer was travelling on a stipend. The second of Nielsen's four string quartets in the official series, it was first performed privately for Joseph Joachim on 18 November 1890 at the Hochschule für Ausübende Tonkunst in Berlin. Nielsen reported in an interview that he was inspired to write the first movement of his second quartet when the theme suddenly occurred
Enso String Quartet chaos that is creation, the emptiness of the void, the endless circle of life, and the fullness of the spirit." The Ensō Quartet has won top prizes in many competitions including the 2003 Concert Artists Guild, 2004 Banff International String Quartet Competition, Chamber Music Yellow Springs, and Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. The ensemble was chosen as the graduate quartet-in-residence at Northern Illinois University where they were mentored by the Vermeer String Quartet. They also completed a graduate residency at Rice University. The Ensō Quartet's recording of the complete Ginastera String Quartets was nominated for "Best Chamber Music Performance" Grammy