There are so many striking aspects to Heavy, the 2012 album by the self-proclaimed post-classical string quartet Ethel, that it's hard to know where to begin. The music itself, written between 1996 and 2009 by eight composers, most of whom are based in NYC, is terrifically, consistently strong. The power, inventiveness, diversity of repertoire, and the composers' exceptionally high level of skill in writing for string quartet make this album reminiscent of the groundbreaking releases by the Kronos Quartet from the 1980s and ...
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There are so many striking aspects to Heavy, the 2012 album by the self-proclaimed post-classical string quartet Ethel, that it's hard to know where to begin. The music itself, written between 1996 and 2009 by eight composers, most of whom are based in NYC, is terrifically, consistently strong. The power, inventiveness, diversity of repertoire, and the composers' exceptionally high level of skill in writing for string quartet make this album reminiscent of the groundbreaking releases by the Kronos Quartet from the 1980s and early '90s. Ethel is by any standard a remarkably capable ensemble, and the players demonstrate a fearless mastery of this music's daunting technical and interpretive challenges. Innova describes its release as "the perfect answer to Light" (Ethel's 2006 album with that title), and heavy is a good starting point for characterizing the music's gritty drive, intensity, ferocity, and, frequently, its volume. The CD opens with Don Byron's String Quartet No. 2: Four Thoughts on Marvin...
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