Amsterdam Loeki Stardust Quartet - Pictured Air (1996)

Pictured Air We are pleased that a certain amount of pioneering work since playing the first chords together has eventually resulted in this release. Raised in the tradition of early music interpretation where Renaissance composers were trained in handling the characteristic possibilities of a recorder ensemble, the contemporary compositions often confronted us with concepts, techniques and ideas that were not always on good terms with a balanced musical performance. The composer who could not lean on tradition sometimes encountered the limitations of the instrument rather than its specific possibilities even with the refreshing experiments with sound and playing techniques from the sixties in mind. Therefore we feel fortunate to have worked with many of them and after having exchanged ideas were able to develop a sophisticated soundscape. Another fortunate element proving to be of invaluable importance was the opportunity to playing the recorded works for audiences all over the world, getting as close as possible to the basic nature of a composition. Where compositions after 1990 seem to be less experimental the inquisitive listener will realise that only the field of renewal has changed. Using a more traditional background and notation, composers show more interest in the inside musical elements. Integrating and refining the discoveries of the sixties, composers open up new ways in formal structure, musical gesture and inner balance of the composition.