The full score for String Quartet No.3 'Angel's Music' by Bent Sørensen (1988) Premiered by the Arditti String Quartet at the Danish Radio Concert Hall 16 November 1988. Parts available: KP00249The composer writes:'Even when I was writing 'Adieu' I knew that I wished to write 'Angel’s Music'. The title existed in an incomplete form in my mind and gradually more and more ideas and a few outlines became clear. The actual work on 'Angel’s Music' was started in Rome where I spent the autumn of 1987 staying at 'The Danish Academy'. Whether this stay has influenced the quartet or not is impossible to say. however it is true tosay that in the Roman churches I visited I saw countless angels playing in the top of frescoes and altars. Without these angels together with the many crackled-gold paintings in this city and my general fascination with the Italian renaissance painter Fra Angelico (in fact there are only a few paintings by him in Rome but even his name..!) I am not sure my quartet would have been what it is. Anyway I do feel that there is a bit of Italy in the piece. The angels apart there are in the short rhythmic agitating part of the quartet reminiscences of the Italian medieval Trotto dance and in the most expressive part of the piece there are flashes of Puccini-like music. From the very beginning of my work on the quartet the distant extremely muted sound in the high register which opens the piece was on my mind. A sound satiated with a dense heterophonic and polyphonic texture of elegiac melody and vibrating trills. I imagined that 'little songs' (maybe angel songs) could be created in this density these songs constantly echoing themselves. Gradually as this sound got a more and more concrete musical and instrumental form I felt that not only should the 'little songs' be created played and die out in an echo but also that the general pattern of the quartet should give the feeling of music which from the distance is getting closer and

For Flute, Clarinet In Bb, Harp, and String Quartet. Par LASH HANNAH. Form and Postlude is a piece in one continuous movement but with a distinct postlude which ends the work. I play throughout with the idea of pacing on many levels: the largest level is the idea of proportion of sections to one another, then harmonic rhythm (in the broad sense), then harmonic rhythm on a more local level, and of course then on the surface of the music there is instrumental texture and how fast the notes go by. Along with this sense of play in terms of the pacing and motion is the idea of color. I love this ensemble, and its palette of color has been part of my DNA, as it were, for many years, because Ravel’s wonderful work Introduction et Allegro is such a cornerstone in the harpist’s repertoire. While composing, I found myself feeling that I was entering into this colorful world that is possible with this combination of instruments, almost as if it were possible to step into a painter’s palette in a real and visceral way, physically interacting with all the different colors. The title Form and Postlude nods to Ravel’s Introduction et Allegro, although my piece lives in its own very distinct space apart from Ravel. – Hannah Lash/ Répertoire / Flûte Traversière, Clarinette, Harpe et Quatuor à

Cheryl Frances-Hoad's The Forgiveness Machine for Piano Cello and Violin. 'The Forgiveness Machine was commissioned by the Phoenix Piano Trio as part of their Beyond Beethoven Project. My work is very closely modeled on the second movement of Beethoven’s Archduke Trio and comprises a set of loosely structured variations many of which are motivically very similar to Beethoven's. This work is dedicated to the memory of my grandmother Christina Hoad. I received this commission in the last months of her life and would often sit in the room listening to the Archduke on my headphones while she rested. Beethoven’s music to me atthat time had an almost transcendental quality to it temporarily permitting an escape from the reality and inevitability of my Nan’s illness. It was this quality of serenity beauty and dignity that I tried to emulate in my work. The title is taken from an art work by Karen Green: the Forgiveness Machine was made after the death of her husband David Foster Wallace and encourages members of the public to write down on a piece of paper what they want to forgive/be forgiven for before feeding it to the machine which sucks up the piece of paper and shreds it (the artwork is some seven foot long). Whilst in my case there is nothing to forgive it was the feeling of catharsis that many people reported after interaction with this artwork that struck a chord with me and had tremendous relevance to this work.' - Cheryl Frances-Hoad

Six colourful miniatures depicting images of the sea range of moods and keys will provide plenty of technical practice for young players while the pictures conveyed will stretch their feeling for interpretation ?The six Seascapes all lie in first position and range across the four strings. They are in an accessible tonal/modal style and there are appropriate accompaniments for ?A sea breeze? and ?Rippling Waves.?? Music Teacher ?There is a lot of very expressive and attractive writing in a singularly English style.? Music in the Curriculum ?As well as being well written for this instrument(s)... theyeach pick up details of string technique which makes them very useful teaching material.? SATIPS

for piano quartet. Par DAVIES PETER MAXWELL. The two nocturnes were composed immediately after major surgery, against a deadline, and, despite the music sounding unlike anything I have written before, I decided to keep them exactly as they turned out. 2010 is a Chopin year, and I made this pair of nocturnes into a little tribute, after playing through and listening to most of his output. Never before had I composed under these drugged conditions – the musical dimensions were enormously exaggerated, with each interval and each phrase being elongated out of all proportion, and the whole few minutes filling the whole of time and space. The orchestration, for piano quartet, was influenced by the very neo-classical feel of the chamber version of the concertos, and the harmonic language very much the result of pondering Chopin’s very individual take on J.S Bach. They are dedicated to James MacMillan and Amelia Freedman respectively. Sir Peter Maxwell Davies (2010)/ Répertoire / Piano, Violon, Alto et Violoncelle

The Full Score for Peter Maxwell Davies’ fourth in a series of ten string quartets commissioned by the Naxos Recording company first performed by the Maggini Quartet on 20th August 2004 at the Chapel of the Royal Palace Oslo Norway as part of the Olso Chamber Music Festival. Composer Note: The fourth Naxos quartet was written in January and February of 2004 with the intention of producing something lighter and much less fierce than itspredecessor an unpremeditated and spontaneous reaction to the illegal invasion of Iraq.I returned to the well-known Brueghel picture of children's games (1560 now in Vienna) which had been the inspiration for my sixthStrathclyde Concerto for flute and orchestra. These illustrations liberated my musical imagination but I feel it would limit the listener's perception to be too specific about which game relates to exactly which section of thework. Suffice it to say that there is vigorous play - leap-frog bind the devil with a cord truss wrestling - alongside quieter pastimes - masks guess whom I shall choose courting odds and evens. The single movementjuxtaposes these activities as abruptly and intimately as they occur in Brueghel. Rather as the eye is taken into different perspectives and proportions of scale within the picture taking liberties which would never be presentin for instance Brunelleschi architectural drawings so here with a constant sequence of transformation processes I have distorted the neat precise implications of modal progression expressed in the unison opening phrase(from F to B through A sharp/B flat) so that the ear is led en route into the sound equivalents of strange passageways and closed rooms: sicut exposition ludus. As work on the quartet progressed I became aware that Iwas reading into and behind the games adult motives and implications concerning aggression and war with their consequences. It was impossible to escape into innocent childhood fantasy. The nature of the F to B

Nico Muhly's My Days for ATTB choir and five Viola Da Gambas. Full score.This 16 minute piece of sheet music was commissioned by Wigmore Hall and the world première was performed by Fretwork and Hilliard Ensemble at Wigmore Hall October 2 2012.'My Days is a ritualised memory piece about Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625) written for two ensembles whose recordings informed so much of my musical development. I feel like I spend half of my life trying to trick string players to play like Fretwork and vocalists to singlike the Hilliard Ensemble so it was with enormous pleasure that I composed this piece. The text is derived from Psalm 39 which Gibbons himself set as well as an account of Gibbons's own autopsy which is a poignant 17th century semi-anonymous text. One of the most thrilling things about the sound of five violas da gamba playing together is the sense of their phrasing being derived from vocal music but made somehow electric and ecstatic through ornamentation and the friction of the strings. The piece has an idée fixe based on a minor scale with two possible resolutions and many ornaments. In between iterations the voices in rhythmic unison intone the psalm. It isn't until the autopsy text arrives that the voices begin to split into more elaborate ?Gibbonsy? verses and responses. A series of semiimprovisedfragments on the text 'Take thy plague away from me' introduces the third section of the piece where plucked strings create a halo around the text 'hear my prayer OLord.' The piece ends with the ornaments wildly exploded over the voices singing two words endlessly repeated.' - Nico Muhly

The arrangement of this famous melody by Handel retains the stately and distinguished feel of the original piece but allows it to be performed by less experienced musicians. The melody is carried by the first violin while the lower parts add depth and substance to the work. An ideal introduction to string ensemble playing.

During his time in America (1892-95) Dvorák suffered with homesickness. It was whilst living in New York that he began his String Quartet In A Flat Major but he did not complete the piece until afterhis return to Bohemia in December 1895.There is no trace of the influence of Indian or African-American music in this his final chamber work; rather the piece is striking for the amount of cantabile themes and motives and their contrasting and artistic treatment. It seems that his relief at seeing his children and family again directly influenced the work. Dvorák himself wrote in a letter during its composition that 'Almighty God hasgranted us this cheerful moment and thus we all feel unutterably happy'.This Henle publication is the first Urtext edition of the Quartet since 1955.

After working for three years at the NationalConservatory in New York, Dvorak returnedhome in 1895 feeling extraordinarily happy. The fruit of this ecstatic periodare thecomposer's last two string quartets. The Quartet in G major, Op. 106, waswrittenimmediately after his return from America. The melodic freshness of the light,airythemes, alternating folk idioms in a temperate, unobtrusive musical allusion,betraysthe composer's maturity and mastery. The editor of this work, published as partof the first Complete Critical Edition of Works by Antonin Dvorak, is FrantisekBartos.

Par ADELE. Adele envoûte le public du monde entier depuis des années grâce à son timbre vocal unique, sa remarquable créativité artistique et une présence scénique exceptionnelle. Nico Dezaire propose trois des plus grands tubes de la chanteuse, dans des arrangements pour quatuor à cordes réalisés avec sensibilité et faciles à jouer qui ne manqueront pas de produire leur effet ! De la reprise de Make You Feel My Love de Bob Dylan à la ballade pop Someone Like You en passant par le groove de Rolling In The Deep, les chansons choisies par Dezaire témoignent de la polyvalence musicale d?Adele. / Date parution : 2022-07-20/ Recueil / Quatuor à Cordes

Par SAMITZ NICO. 'Nico Samitz has been composing for chamber ensembles since his school days. For over ten years he has been writing works in a wide variety of genres for the „BlechReiz BrassQuintett“ ensemble, in which he himself plays trumpet and piano. His field of expertise ranges from classical pieces to jazz and meditative music—and even to pop-oriented compositions. While honing his skills in ear-training and composition at the Mozarteum, Salzburg, Nico became acquainted with a wide repertoire of works as a trumpet player with the Munich Symphony Orchestra, The Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Bavarian State Opera, all of which have influenced his writing style. The driving force behind his creative work is a winning combination of passion, the fun of music-making and a desire to express, through the medium of music, feelings that are difficult to put into words. Like many of his works, Nico composed The Joy of Freedom for the „BlechReiz BrassQuintet“. The catchy tune is reworked in a variety of styles throughout the entire work, giving it the quality of a true ‘earworm’. ' / Date parution : 2021-12-09/ Répertoire / Quintette de Cuivres

Par IGUDESMAN ALEKSEY. “This flute quartet is filled with pictures out of my own mind. The idea is to walk through a fictional gallery that exists exclusively in my head. The pictures one sees are moods, feelings and the inner secrets of a person. After one round, one returns to the beginning of the inner gallery and starts walking faster. The musical material repeats in a more compact way, where smaller fragments are seen or “felt”. The next round is even faster and so on, culminating in a frantic run through the imaginary gallery. The work culminates in a slow pensive reflective section, a type of emotional exhaustion, followed by a last furious sprint towards the end of the confusing and contradicting pictures in the gallery of my mind.” Aleksey Igudesman – 2017/ Recueil / Flûte Traversière, Violon, Alto et Violoncelle ou

After a twelve-year interval Dvo ák once again turned his attention to the String Quartet in summer 1893. He had been musical director in New York since autumn 1892 and spent the summer in Spillville (Iowa) where agroup of Czech immigrants had settled thus making him feel at home. The beautiful natural surroundings led him to write this unconventional String Quartet in the tradition of Beethoven?s ?Pastoral? even down to the imitation ofbirdcalls. Since the first performances certain rhythmic and melodic characteristics have been traced back to the influences of the folk music of Native Americans and African Americans which led to the soon popular workbeing called the ?American Quartet?. For the first time since 1955 the Quartet is once again being published in an Urtext edition.