Kevin Volans' String Quartet No. 9: Shiva Dances was commissioned by BBC Radio 3 and first performed by the Smith Quartet at the 2004 Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival.Kevin Volans (the composer) notes on the piece:In the past I have been interested in trying to go beyond historicism (1970s) beyond style(1980s) and beyond form (1990s) in my work. Looking back over the music of the twentiethcentury I was struck by the fact the nearlyall of it is extremely 'busy' almost cluttered. Italmost seemed that composers felt compelled to look industrious. In the new millennium Ithought it would be interesting to try and eliminate content. I also aspired to movingfrommusic (sound as art) to art (art as sound). This of course has already been done by a numberof composers (many from New York Phil Niblock and La Monte Young to name but two) butit was something I had never tried.AlthoughI found it annoying that the label 'minimalist' was given to my African-based work and fearing this would make the label stick I set out to write a piece which reflected my loveof minimal painting and architecture. The Japanesehave a term 'wabi' meaning 'voluntarypoverty' or 'emptiness' to describe their restrained minimal aesthetic an aesthetic which however pays greatest attention to the quality of material and fine detail. I like to think thatthelack of excessive pitch material in this piece reflects a kind of voluntary poverty.When Shiva is portrayed dancing (as Nataraj) He is depicted in a circle of flames crushing asmall figure the ego underfoot.You get theimpression He dances on the spot not movingaround at all. I like that.The piece is dedicated to Pablo Pascual Cilleruelo.

Schubertâ??s composition of a new string quartet begun in December 1820 was alas never to get beyond the first movement the heavily reworked autograph breaks off at the outset of the second movement. But the fragmentary work that later came into the hands of Johannes Brahms from Schubertâ??s estate delighted its new owner so much after its premiere in 1867 that Brahms had the first movement published three years later as Schubertâ??s â??Posthumous Workâ? â?? thus paving the way into audiencesâ?? hearts for this little gem. Schubertâ??s autograph manuscript features such numerous divergences in dynamics and articulation that editor Egon Voss suspects it to be one of Schubertâ??s experiments withvariations. This is why in his Urtext edition he proceeds with extreme restraint in issuing additions and changes with respect to parallel passages ¬â?? thus making Schubertâ??s diversity of ideas comprehensible for performing musicians. For all who want a peek inside Schubertâ??s workshop the few measures of the second movement are included as a bonus! Schubertâ??s composition of a new string quartet begun in December 1820 was alas never to get beyond the first movement the heavily reworked autograph breaks off at the outset of the second movement. But the fragmentary work that later came into the hands of Johannes Brahms from Schubertâ??s estate delighted its new owner so much after its premiere in 1867 that Brahms had the first movement published three years later as Schubertâ??s â??Posthumous Workâ? â?? thus paving the way into audiencesâ?? hearts for this little gem. Schubertâ??s autograph manuscript features such numerous divergences in dynamics and articulation that editor Egon Voss suspects it to be one of Schubertâ??s experiments withvariations. This is why in his Urtext edition he proceeds with extreme restraint in issuing additions and changes with respect to parallel passages ¬â?? thus making Schubertâ??s diversity of ideas comprehensible for performing musicians. For all who want a peek inside Schubertâ??s workshop the few measures of the second movement are included as a bonus!

George Nicholson's Salut for String Quartet. The death of Peter Cropper in May 2015 was an immeasurable blow to the musical community especially to those of us who knew him not only as a wonderful wise musician but also as a warm colleague and friend. His unceasing devotion to the cause of music and to the promotion of excellent standards in performance was in my experience beyond compare. The finest tribute we can pay him is to continue to make music to the best of our ability and to go on reaching out to continue to explore and learn. I always felt that I would need to commemorate Peter in a piece for StringQuartet the medium he was most obviously associated with and in Salut it is understandably the first Violin part that has pride of place. The piece develops contrasting textures and registers and above all it is concerned with the influence of the extremely high Violin writing at the beginning on the rest of the ensemble. - George Nicholson Salut was first performed by the Ligeti Quartet Firth Hall University of Sheffield 17 May 2016.

The sweeping melody line of Across The Vast Eternal Sky blends smoothly with a sense of symphonic chorale. The Silvestri text begins with the last words in Gjeilo's 2011 Tundra here painting a world of light. An excellent centerpiece work for high school and beyond and a sure audience pleaser! String quartet score and parts. Vocal score available separately (HL00117661).