Set of parts for Lenaustemninger / Lenau Moods for Mezzo-Soprano and String Quartet by Rued Langgaard (1917) BVN 138. Text by Thor Lange. Critical edition by Bendt Viinholt Nielsen / The Rued Langgaard Edition.

PrefaceThe three movements of the quartet may be perceived as three different expressions of an unstable core: an inherent unrest leads to frequent changes of direction. The first movement is full of dramatic contrasts; it is followed by a second movement whose basic mood of meditative rest is challenged by occasional centrifugal utbursts while the third movement takes the inherent conflicts to a higher level contrasting material of introspective lyricism with excessively pathetic moods.The final ?way out? is a retrograde one (back) ?into the source?: through a constant accelerando-diminuendo the piece disappears into a vanishing point. The ?into thesource? of the title may be visualized as a reversed fountain-action: the broad fan-like spread of the first movement a more coherent-solid second movement and finally - in the third movement - a return-run ever more vehemently like a suction into the spring itself ?The musical motifs are varied; there are traffic-situations (which I heard!) with stomping and machine-like rhythms in different but simultaneous tempi and there are more abstract upwards and downwards half-tone-scales with changing accents creating glimpses of melodies.INTO THE SOURCE String Quartet No. 9 was composed on a double-commission from the Orion Quartet and the Vertavo Quartet. The premiere performances took places in Santa Fé in 2002 and in Oslo in 2003.Per Nørgård

An informative preface and critical commentary by Ales Brezina and Ivan Straus (Cz / Ger / Engl / Fr) - A new practical edition at the forefront of Martinu scholarship - All existing sources consulted.The String Quartet no. 6 by Bohuslav Martinu (1890-1959) represents a distinct step on the journey which the composer characterised as his development from geometry to fantasy and for which the almost continuous use of the principle of developing variations restless harmonic development the pulsation of minute rhythmic values and inventive work with sound are characteristic.The quartet which was written in New York in the autumn of 1946 constitutes the beginning of the composer's later works in which moods freely overflow regardless of any predefined formal layout. The editors of the new edition (based on the composer's autograph) have carefully removed all of the problematic and somewhat arbitrary editorial intervention in the sole existing edition dating from 1950 (actually 1955).With its urtext edition of the 6th quartet Editio Bareneriter Praha has continued in its series of new publications of works by Bohuslav Martinu - quartets nos. 4 and 5 have already been published for this instrumental line-up.

Par LARCHER THOMAS. It was not until his late twenties that the pianist, Thomas Larcher, known as an expert of contemporary music, began his career as a composer. Among his most interesting works is the string quartet 'Cold Farmer'. This fifteen-minute work is characterized by moods changing in a blocklike manner. The features of minimal music can be recognized particularly in the fast repetitive sections. The two slow parts acknowledge a tonal language again and again. The first, astonishingly, begins openly in C major, the end of the string quartet fades away in C# Minor. 'Cold Farmer' is released on Larcher's second portrait CD on the renowned label ECM, as is his work 'Mumien' for violoncello and piano already available from Schott (CB 182)./ Répertoire / Quatuor à Cordes

Tchaikovsky's 'The Nutcracker' remains one of todays best loved ballets with its magical theme and varying movements of different moods and tempi. This famous march has been arranged for string quartet.