★Montaigne
Kurtág, Lutoslawski, Gubaidulina
1994 release ** "The Arditti Quartet here performs all three of Kurtag's string quartets, along with Lutoslawski's one quartet, and Gubaidulina's second as well -- the recordings are from 1990. Kurtag's quartets are some of the finest of the 20th century, clearly fusing Webern and Bartok. What distinguishes Arditti's Kurtag from the Keller Quartet on ECM? (see my review). The AQ takes the tempos slightly faster. Not too fast, in fact I'd say if anything the KQ has slowed them down for dramatic e…
Variazioni Canoniche / A Carlo Scarpa, Architetto / No Hay Caminos, Hay Que Caminar...
2000 release ** "“To awaken the ear well” was one of the goals of Luigi Nono in his last creative period, the 1980s and 20th century. Between pianissimo and complete silence, the listener is invited to unexpected sound adventures. Tense intensity with a sparse expression goes together with the breaking of clear coherence in a very concentrated and targeted manner. As one of his first works, the Variazioni from 1950 derives its substance from Arnold Schönberg, his posthumous father-in-law. The us…
Helikopter-Quartett
The Helikopter-Streichquartett (Helicopter String Quartet) is one of Karlheinz Stockhausen's best-known pieces, and one of the most complex to perform. It involves a string quartet, four helicopters with pilots, as well as audio and video equipment and technicians. It was first performed and recorded in 1996. Although performable as a self-sufficient piece, it also forms the third scene of the opera Mittwoch aus Licht ("Wednesday from Licht"). The Helicopter Quartet was originally commissioned b…