Mendelssohn / Dudok Quartet Amsterdam - Solitude - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

The title What Remains of String Quartet No.4 (2019) by Joey Roukens can be understood in various ways. On a poetic level, the words correspond to the character of the music, which often seems to hark back to 'something remaining' from a previous era - ruins, ghosts, scraps or memories. This interpretation, both of the words and of the music itself, marked the beginning of the associative exploration that led to this album of the same title. A fascinatingly curated program from the Dudok, drawing on music from the 13th, 14th and 16th centuries, with 20th century works by Messiaen and Reich, and into the 21st century with the work that provides the album's title, the 4th String Quartet by Roukens, commissioned by the Dudok Quartet. Both Reich and Roukens' music was influenced by Gregorian chant, and the early organum and polyphonic music that followed. Time, travel, locomotion - journeys through time and the memories of these journeys all come together on this thrilling new album from the Dudok Quartet, Amsterdam. Album Tracks 1. String Quartet No. 4 InchWhat RemainsInch~I. Strange Oscillations 2. What Remains (String Quartet No. 4)~Motectum 3. Viderunt omnes 4. Messe de Nostre Dame~Kyrie 5. Deh, come invan sospiro 6. Different Trains for String Quartet and Tape~America - Before the War 7. Different Trains~II. Europe - During the War 8. Different Trains~III. After the War 9. Fête des belles eaux~VI. Oraison

Following their acclaimed first installment of Franz Joseph Haydn's six Op. 20 string quartets, the Dudok Quartet Amsterdam returns with the remainder of the works from this hugely significant collection - the E-flat major, D major and A major quartets. Earning Haydn the title of the 'father of the string quartet', these works are said to have defined the medium for the next 200 years. It is in his lauded Op. 20, where Haydn connects old and new worlds and creates an all-encompassing universe. The Dudok Quartet Amsterdam is one of the most versatile and appealing string quartets of this time. The quartet's aim is to share the heart of music through captivating performances and an open approach of the audience. Album Tracks 1. Quartet in E-Flat Major, Op. 20, No. 1, Hob. III 31 2. Quartet in D Major, Op. 20, No. 4, Hob. III 34 3. Quartet in a Major, Op. 20, No. 6, Hob. III 36

Shostakovich regarded his 3rd String Quartet as one of his best works and initially gave each of the movements titles such as 'blithe ignorance of the future cataclysm' and 'Forces of war unleased', but then withdrew the titles shortly after completing the work. Why he did this we don't know, maybe he was wary of the Soviet authorities reading unpatriotic meanings into them. Whatever the reasons, the 3rd is a powerful statement containing the composer's dry humor, with a good dash of sarcasm, the sinister and the passionate. Saariaho's Terra Memoria, her 2nd String Quartet, bears the subtitle 'for those departed.' The composer said that Inchwe continue to remember those who are no longer with us. Their life is complete, nothing will be added... our experiences of being with them, different aspects of their personality, certain memories haunt our dreams, some remain clear flashes which we can relive.Inch Album Tracks 1. String Quartet No. 3 in F major Op. 73~I. Allegretto 2. String Quartet No. 3 in F major Op. 73~II. Moderato con moto 3. String Quartet No. 3 in F major Op. 73~III. Allegro non troppo 4. String Quartet No. 3 in F major Op. 73~IV. Adagio (attacca) 5. String Quartet No. 3 in F major Op. 73~V. Moderato 6. Terra Memoria for String Quartet 7. 24 Preludes Op. 34~No. 1 in C major - Moderato 8. 24 Preludes Op. 34~No. 2 in A minor - Allegretto 9. 24 Preludes Op. 34~No. 4 in E minor - Moderato 10. 24 Preludes Op. 34~No. 6 in B minor - Allegretto 11. 24 Preludes Op. 34~No. 7 in A major - Andante 12. 24 Preludes Op. 34~No. 12 in G sharp minor - Allegro non troppo 13. 24 Preludes Op. 34~No. 22 in G minor - Adagio