Pour Quator á Cordes-Born in 1947 Laurent Duvillier-Wable trained under pianist Suzanne Joly and studied composition with Michel Puig. The latter a student of Ren? Leibowitz introduced him to the mysteries of Sch?nberg and Webern's twelve-note composition. To create a coherent œuvre Duvillier-Wable drew on the array of possibilities offered by chamber music in his series of six Sonatas composed between 1992 and 2007. Sonata IV For String Quartet was written in 1994 the year his father – painter Ren? Duvillier a friend of Charles Estienne and Andr? Breton – fell gravely ill. Divided into four movements thecomposition contains two beautifully expressive musical references: the Lamento religioso refers to Bach's Passion according to Saint Matthew by quoting the choral 'Was ist die Ursache aller solcher Plagen' (No.19: What is the cause of all this suffering?) when Jesus distressed by his imminent agony asks his disciples to watch over him. The Agitato final borrows the inexorable 'Must it be? It must!' theme from Beethoven's Quartet No.16 in F that crowns this poignant work.

Josef Suk played second violin in the Bohemian String Quartet. Since 1914 the ensemble was obliged to perform the Austrian national anthem at the opening of every concert.Suk decided to supplement this obligatory piece with a work inspired by the ancient sacred Bohemian 'St. Wenceslas? hymn. The hymn's message - a plea for the well-being of the Czech people, directed at their patron saint - was immediately understood by the audience.The Bohemian String Quartet performed this single-movement Meditation for the first time on 27 September 1914 - the premiere of the version for string orchestra followed on 22 November 1914, played by the Czech Philharmonic. That same year the piece was published by Fr. A. Urbánek together with arrangements for piano and organ.This first Urtext edition, prepared by the Suk scholar Zdenek Nouza, is published in two scorings, one for string quartet (BA 9583 - study score TP 583) and another for string orchestra (BA 9584).The orchestral version differs in some details and has an added part for double bass. - First Urtext edition / Quatuor A Cordes

Three Small Pieces for String Quartet. Par AYRES RICHARD. Richard Ayres’ Three Small Pieces for String Quartet each have distinct characters that illustrate the composer’s vivid imagination and skill for combining energetic, touching and sometimes wild music. The first piece is a short tribute to the Romanian singer Maria Tanase, a long forgotten performer who was once a star in her country. The second is a rough, fast and folk-like section in 11/16 time and the third, subtitled “Countess Eva von Spendu (on a horse) gallops through the forest (pausing four times to contemplate natural splendour)”, contains (in the words of the composer) “hunting gallops, a Feldmanesque 19 bar blues, some devilish fiddling, moments of repose and contemplation, and a lyrical finale.”/ Recueil / Quatuor à Cordes

Par CANAT DE CHIZY EDITH. L'élaboration de ce quatuor à cordes a correspondu pour moi à une période de grande liberté par rapport à la composition (liberté d'influences, de forme, de langage), liberté allant de pair avec une jubilation croissante dans l'acte d'écrire. D'ou ce titre évocateur qui a généré une forme en arche avançant peu à peu vers une énergie extrême au centre de la pièce pour s'éteindre dans l'illimité. Cette oeuvre est l'aboutissement de mon travail sur les cordes où j'ai peu à peu élaboré une série de modes de jeu correspondant à ce que je voulais mettre en évidence: à savoir cette capacité des cordes à suggérer un autre univers sonore que le leur. Aussi bien dans le Hallel (trio à cordes), Siloël (pour douze cordes) que dans ce quatuor, les instruments sont traités de façon à réaliser une matière sonore mouvante, irisée et fluide. Loin d'une écriture homorythmique, le contrepoint anime cette matière où alternent murmures, bruissements, bourrasques, arabesques, ainsi que le prisme de sonorités glacées aux contours imprécis. Car certains 'cernent' les contours. Pour ma part, je les aime imprécis, avec le halo d'une écriture fugitive en perpétuel mouvement où les lignes mélodiques sont 'brouillées' par trille et glissandi. Tel est l'univers impalpable que je cherche à créer et que seules les cordes peuvent approcher. Edith Canat de Chizy / contemporain / Répertoire / Quatuor à Cordes

Par CANAT DE CHIZY EDITH. / contemporain / Répertoire / 2 Violons, Alto et Violoncelle