Alma Quartet Amsterdam - Debussy, Ravel and Dutilleux (2019)

Alma Quartet was formed in 2014 and quickly gained reputation as one of the most thrilling ensembles in Holland. Their debut album: Schulhoff Complete String Quartets has received stellar international praise. The Gramophone claimed "this set shoots straight to the top" and also admired the quartet for being "capable of the most seductive playing". The album was chosen for the 2017 Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik 'Bestenliste' and was also featured on several German national radio stations including Deutschlandfunk and SWR2, the latter hailing Alma's Schulhoff cycle as the "new reference recording".

Alma Quartet: Dutilleux and Glass, released exclusively on vinyl, has equally enjoyed immediate critical praise. Receiving 4-stars across the board from major publications, the quartet is noted for their "collective antenna for sophisticated timbres" by the Volkskrant, and for their "carefully forged unity" by the Telegraaf.

As well as performing the classical repertoire, the quartet is keen on collaborating with producer Henrik Schwarz in a multitude of projects. Their album CCMYK, in which they explore the possibilities of seamlessly fusing newly composed electronic and classical music into a new language, has recently been released on the label Between Buttons. A new project called Plunderphonia is currently being developed.

The quartet has performed at prestigious concert halls including Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Konzerthaus Berlin, Tonhalle Düsseldorf, Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ Amsterdam, Sociedad Filarmónica de Bilbao, Süreyya Opera House Istanbul, Tianjin Grand Theatre, Harbin Concert Hall, Wuhan Qintai Concert Hall, as well as clubs and theaters such as Diligentia Den Haag, Volksbühne Berlin, Temple Beijing, Musis Sacrum Arnhem, Theaters Tilburg, Theater de Veste Delft, Paradiso Amsterdam, Bimhuis, Melkweg Amsterdam, Kulturbrauerei Berlin and Střecha Lucerny Prague.

They have played during captivating events such as Schumannfest Düsseldorf, Robeco SummerNights, Classical Music Rave, XJazz Festival Berlin, Down The Rabbit Hole, Klassifest, Shoeless Festival, Pop-Kultur Festival Berlin, Theater Spektakel Zurich, TEDx and Uitmarkt Amsterdam. They are also frequent guests at major (international) live radio and television shows including Spiegelzaal, Podium Witteman and ARTE.

Alma Quartet has collaborated with diverse artists such as Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Lisa Batiashvili, Denis Kozhukhin, Philip Glass, Hauschka, Henrik Schwarz, Dauwd, Mees Dierdorp, Nicolas van Poucke, Dominic Seldis, Alexander Bedenko, Saeunn Thorsteinsdottir, Nino Gvetadze, Aidan Mikdad, Jorinde Keesmaat and Frank Lammers.

Future engagements include concerts at the 2020 String Quartet Biennale Amsterdam which will include a performance of ‘Quartet Satz’, the latest string quartet by Philip Glass and a show with the revered jazz ensemble New Cool Collective. They will give the world premiere of a specially commissioned piece by Serbian composer Milica Djordjevič at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, and will also make their debuts at Oosterpoort Groningen, TivoliVredenburg Utrecht with New Cool Collective at the Transition Festival and the United Kingdom with two shows at the Jazz Cafe London with producer Henrik Schwarz.

TRACKLIST

01. String Quartet in G minor, opus 10 I. Anime et tres decide
02. String Quartet in G minor, opus 10 II. Assez vif et bien rythme
03. String Quartet in G minor, opus 10 III. Andantino - doucement expressif
04. String Quartet in G minor, opus 10 IV. Tres modere - en animant peu a peu - tres mouvemente et avec passion
05. String Quartet in F major I. Allegro moderato - tres doux
06. String Quartet in F major II. Assez vif - tres rythme
07. String Quartet in F major III. Tres lent
08. String Quartet in F major IV. Vif et agite
09. Ainsi la nuit' I. Nocturne
10. Ainsi la nuit' II. Miroir d'espace
11. Ainsi la nuit' III. Litanies
12. Ainsi la nuit' IV. Litanies II
13. Ainsi la nuit' V. Constellations
14. Ainsi la nuit' VI. Nocturne II
15. Ainsi la nuit' VII. Temps suspendu