Bartok, Ligeti, Kurtag - Metamorphosis (2010)

Three transformative works by three Hungarian composers—Bartók’s String Quartet No. 4, Sz. 91; Ligeti’s String Quartet No. 1; and Kurtag’s 12 Microludes for string quartet, Op. 13—conspire to create a program steeped in the incessant sonics of the 20th century. Cuarteto Casals—violinists Abel Tomàs and Vera Martinez, violist Jonathan Brown, and cellist Arnau Tomàs—deliver a profoundly exciting performance of these challenging pieces. The Bartók presents intense sonorities and prolonged pizzicato passages (often demanding a sharp “snap back” sound on the fingerboard), but it is the sense of mystery, not technique, that the Casals capture to great effect. The Ligeti is a like an “E” ticket on a sonic roller coaster fraught with ever-shifting dynamics and rhythmic drive. It, too, is steeped in nocturnal moods that offer no respite for the ensemble, which are instructed to play the eight movements without a break. At one point, the instruments play close to the same register in a blinding wave that feels deceptively void of meter or pulse. Once again, mystery is the name of the game in Kurtag’s wonderfully imaginative and highly advanced 12 Microludes, a 1978 work that represents his latter foray into the world of string-quartet composition. The piece is dedicated to the cellist, conductor, and composer András Mihály and was a gift to him on his 60th birthday. The title references Bartók’s Mikrokosmos though musically it is grounded in Bach’s The Well Tempered Clavier as well as the music of Webern, but the goal is to capture the essence of raw emotions.

This is Part Two of small Hungarian music series. This is not my rip, but it goes well with Kodaly's disc offered here earlier. Of course thanks go to the original releaser. :)

Contents:

Bartók:String Quartet No. 4, Sz 91
Ligeti:String Quartet No. 1 'Métamorphoses nocturnes'
Kurtág:12 Microludes




Read more about the Quarteto Casals here.
Read more about the CD here.


Download Links:
Part 1
Part 2

bklm

3% recovery record is included.

Of related interest:

Zoltán Kodály - Sonata for Solo Cello, Adagio, Sonatina, Epigrams (2010) Link
Jennifer Koh - Portraits (2006) + Violin Fantasies (2004) Link

More contemporary music for string quartet:

Gabriela Lena Frank - Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout (2007) Link
Christopher Rouse - Transfiguration (2009) Link
Julia Wolfe - Arsenal of Democracy (1996) Link
Mary Ellen Childs - Dream House (2007) Link
ETHEL - Light (2006) Link
Gloria Coates - String Quartets Nos. 1-8 / 2 CD (2002, 2003) Link
Kevin Volans - Hunting: Gathering / Duke Quartet (2002) Link

If you like clarinet, bass clarinet or saxophone for that matter, don't miss my recent release of clarinetist/composer Evan Ziporyn's wonderful blend of classical, jazz and world music - Link. There is a lot of beautiful writing for winds there, particularly memorable in two works - Tree Frog and Walk the Dog. Fusion of contemporary music and jazz rarely gets that good.:)

More contemporary American and European music is available at my blog.