Speak Like the People, Write Like the King is a disc of string quartet music by New Jersey-based composer Steven Mackey featuring both the Borromeo and Brentano string quartets; in the case of Gaggle and Flock (2001), the two quartets play together. Mackey composed this work as a wedding present for Misha Amory and Hsin-Yun Huang, who, at the time this quartet was written, were the violists in the two quartets. Mackey states, "the idea of featuring the violas and creating a strong musical bond between them continued to ...
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Speak Like the People, Write Like the King is a disc of string quartet music by New Jersey-based composer Steven Mackey featuring both the Borromeo and Brentano string quartets; in the case of Gaggle and Flock (2001), the two quartets play together. Mackey composed this work as a wedding present for Misha Amory and Hsin-Yun Huang, who, at the time this quartet was written, were the violists in the two quartets. Mackey states, "the idea of featuring the violas and creating a strong musical bond between them continued to intrigue me." The piece has an appropriately sunny and celebratory feel to it and glows with the warmth of friendship. The rhythmic aspects of it drives the whole -- much as in the case of Stravinsky's Concertino -- but one never gets the sense that this is a wanna-be string orchestral piece; Gaggle and Flock sounds like a string quartet with a few extra notes here and there.As appealing and ready for prime time as Gaggle and Flock is, it is not the main event on Speak Like the People,...
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