Composed between 1973 and 1976  Ainsi La Nuit for String Quartet is one of the most important works of its genre by Henri Dutilleux (1916-2013) a French composer following the paths of Maurice Ravel and Claude Debussy. Commissioned by the Koussevitzky Foundation for the Juilliard Quartet  Ainsi La Nuitis based on a series of studies lasting 18 minutes and divided into 7 sections: 1. Nocturne 2. Miroir d'espace 3. Litanies 4. Litanies II 5. Constellations 6. Nocturne II 7. Temps suspendu Built on single hexachords it also uses theoctatonic mode and focuses on harmonies contrasts and oppositions of register. Henri Dutilleux was internationally acclaimed for his work winning prizes such as the Gold Medal of the Royal Philharmonic Society and the UNESCO's International Rostrum of Composers among many others. His work also includes a Piano sonata two symphonies the Violin concerto 'L'arbre des songes' (The tree of dreams) and the Cello concerto 'Tout un monde lointain' (A whole distant world).

Work dating from 1952-58. Programme note: The spectrum of sound the gesticulation in short the very nature of the strings has always had a central place in my output demonstrated by the numbers of string quartets concertos with string soloist chamber and solo works. The interest dates back to my school years when I was fortunate to be able to compose for a cello-playing schoolmate and to accompany him on the piano. I discovered then the innumerable nuances of sound and playing varieties offered by just one bow four strings and five fingers.. My second string quartet Quartetto Brioso has a firm root in the Nordic traditionand is strongly inspired by Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) and my teacher Vagn Holmboe (1909-96). Per Nørgård

Par FREEMAN ALEX. Alex Freeman found initial inspiration for his string quartet (2015) in a series of photographs a geologist friend showed him of en échelon veins in rock formations. The open strings punctuated with pizzicato unisons that begin the single-movement work call to mind something crystalline and shimmering, which is immediately infused with tumbling lyrical lines in something of a rapid caccia technique throughout. The middle of the work becomes more suspended in slower material loosely based on a technique of prolation canon, comprises layers of free, expressive, lyrical, and even elegiac music moving at different speeds. As the work concludes, the materials converge in a rhythmically pulsating stasis and an almost chorale-like statement. Duration: c. 13' This product includes the score and the parts (A4 sized). American-Finnish composer Alex Freeman (b.1972) has established himself among the foremost composers of choral music in Finland. A dedicated citizen of his musical community, a teacher, and a choral singer himself, he composes music that reflects an appreciation for a wide range of aesthetics and a passion for communicating with listeners and performers. In his choral works, in particular, we find music that aims to be sonorous, melodic, and resonant, but is always crafted to carefully avoid the cliches that can burden conventional tonality. His instrumental works run the gamut: a cantata with orchestra based on poetry of Whitman; a significant body of solo piano works that reveal deep roots in everything from austere absolute music to soaring elegaic rhetoric (see Albany Records, Inner Voice); his chamber work Blueshift (Navona Records), which is a kind of paean to Reich and Adams in miniature; open-ended modular works, like various iterations of his Slow All Clocks for electronic media, solo clarinet, and mixed choirs of kanteles; and, recently, some new directions in microtonal music. / Date parution : 2022-05-31/ Répertoire / Quatuor à Cordes

Carol Stringfest presents popular carols in flexible arrangements for string quartet beginner strings and duet. The books in the series can be used independently or in conjunction with one another. The inclusion of very simple parts for absolute beginners and an optional piano accompaniment to support less confident groups makes the series valuable to a wide range of abilities. Lyrics are also provided so there is something for everyone a must for Christmas!