Arditti String Quartet - Abrahamsen: String Quartets 1 - 4 (2017) [Hi-Res]

Tracklist
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01. String Quartet No. 4: I Light and Airy (High in the Sky Singing)
02. String Quartet No. 4: II with Motion (Dance of Light)
03. String Quartet No. 4: III Dark, Heavy and Earthy (With a Heavy Groove)
04. String Quartet No. 4: IV Gently "Rocking" (With Utmost Sensitivity, Babbling)
05. String Quartet No. 3: I Calmo, con tenerezza e simplicita
06. String Quartet No. 3: II
07. String Quartet No. 3: III
08. String Quartet No. 3: IV Molto tranquillo et lontano legato
09. String Quartet No. 2: I Andante espressivo
10. String Quartet No. 2: II Vivo, ben ritmico
11. String Quartet No. 2: III Tranquillo con delicatezza
12. String Quartet No. 2: IV Presto energico
13. 10 Preludes (String Quartet No. 1): 1
14. 10 Preludes (String Quartet No. 1): 2
15. 10 Preludes (String Quartet No. 1): 3
16. 10 Preludes (String Quartet No. 1): 4
17. 10 Preludes (String Quartet No. 1): 5
18. 10 Preludes (String Quartet No. 1): 6
19. 10 Preludes (String Quartet No. 1): 7
20. 10 Preludes (String Quartet No. 1): 8
21. 10 Preludes (String Quartet No. 1): 9
22. 10 Preludes (String Quartet No. 1): 10

Danish composer Hans Abrahamsen's four quartets are presented here by the famous Arditti String Quartet, in reverse order of composition: the Fourth (2012), the Third, (2008), the Second (1981) - you may have noticed the huge gap, which will make more sense once you know that between 1990 and 2000 he put down his pen and stopped composing altogether - and then the First (1973), which was written as "Ten Preludes". From his earliest days as a composer, Abrahamsen has shunned the avant-garde doctrines of the "Darmstadt School", preferring to learn from his teacher Ligeti, in a language he took to calling the "New Simplicity". When listening to these four works, one is indeed struck by Abrahamsen's ability to create recognisable lines, at once modern and very old, sometimes bearing the traces (real or imagined) of folk airs, with a clear love for the most keening moments; and putting harmonics to mind-blowing use. The listener will realised that they are in the presence of a highly original piece of music, modern for sure: but it doesn't require a forced intellectual effort – rather, it demands that the listener abandon themselves to the rich and captivating discourse of the four musicians of the Arditti Quartet.

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