The commercial success of this contemporary music release may be due to a rave review by critic Norman Lebrecht, but even those not enamored of his writing should check the album out. In terms of fusing diverse materials into a coherent program, it's second to none. The Solem Quartet begins with the titular The Four Quarters, the second string quartet by Thomas Adčs, whose four movements are inspired by parts of a 24-hour day. The four movements are separated and interspersed with a great variety of other works, likewise on ...
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The commercial success of this contemporary music release may be due to a rave review by critic Norman Lebrecht, but even those not enamored of his writing should check the album out. In terms of fusing diverse materials into a coherent program, it's second to none. The Solem Quartet begins with the titular The Four Quarters, the second string quartet by Thomas Adčs, whose four movements are inspired by parts of a 24-hour day. The four movements are separated and interspersed with a great variety of other works, likewise on the daypart theme. A few are string quartets; one, Cassandra Miller's Warblework, itself has two movements that are split up. However, most of the other pieces are arranged by Solem Quartet members from other media, typically piano pieces that one would never suspect were tenable on a string quartet. These come from composers ranging from Purcell to Schumann and Bartók, to Florence Beatrice Price and, in an entirely satisfying conclusion, the rock singer-songwriter Kate Bush. It's...
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