Bartok / Ligeti / Marmen Quartet- Ligeti: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2; Bartok: String (CD)
For it's first recording for BIS Records, the Marmen Quartet tackles three major works from the twentieth-century string quartet literature. The two quartets by Gyorgy Ligeti belong to two different periods in the composer's output. Written before Ligeti left Hungary and emigrated to the West, the First, subtitled 'Metamorphoses nocturnes', represents the peak of his 'Hungarian' period. Regarded as a virtuoso exercise, the work reveals the influences of Bela Bartok, particularly from his Third and Fourth Quartets. Ligeti's Second Quartet belongs to his second period, particularly rich in significant works. Considered by the composer as a response to the works of his illustrious predecessors such as Mozart, Beethoven, Bartok and Berg, the Second Quartet, with it's calculated anarchy, dynamic extremes and sublime climaxes, is not only one of Ligeti's masterpieces but also a true classic of modernism.Bela Bartok's Fourth Quartet, which had a particularly strong influence on Ligeti, is widely seen as one of his most radical; it requires high levels of technical accomplishment from the performers, yet reveals a deep understanding of the instruments, and draws an unprecedented range of colour and character from them.
Tracklist:
- String Quartet No. 1 "Métamoirphonese nocturnes"~I. Allegro grazioso
- String Quartet No. 1 "Métamoirphonese nocturnes"~II. Vivace, capriccioso
- String Quartet No. 1 "Métamoirphonese nocturnes"~III. Adagio, mesto
- String Quartet No. 1 "Métamoirphonese nocturnes"~IV. Presto
- String Quartet No. 1 "Métamoirphonese nocturnes"~V. Andante tranquillo
- String Quartet No. 1 "Métamoirphonese nocturnes"~VI. Tempo di Valse, moderato, con eleganza, un poco capriccioso
- String Quartet No. 1 "Métamoirphonese nocturnes"~VII. Allegretto, un poco gioviale
- String Quartet No. 1 "Métamoirphonese nocturnes"~VIII. Prestissimo
- String Quartet No. 4~I. Allegro
- String Quartet No. 4~II. Prestissimo, con sordino
- String Quartet No. 4~III. Non troppo lento
- String Quartet No. 4~IV. Allegretto pizzicato
- String Quartet No. 4~V. Allegro molto
- String Quartet No. 2~I. Allegro nervoso
- String Quartet No. 2~II. Sostenuto, molto calmo
- String Quartet No. 2~III. Come un meccanismo di precisione
- String Quartet No. 2~IV. Presto furioso, brutale, tumultuoso
- String Quartet No. 2~V. Allegro con delicatezza - stets sehr mild
For it's first recording for BIS Records, the Marmen Quartet tackles three major works from the twentieth-century string quartet literature. The two quartets by Gyorgy Ligeti belong to two different periods in the composer's output. Written before Ligeti left Hungary and emigrated to the West, the First, subtitled 'Metamorphoses nocturnes', represents the peak of his 'Hungarian' period. Regarded as a virtuoso exercise, the work reveals the influences of Bela Bartok, particularly from his Third and Fourth Quartets. Ligeti's Second Quartet belongs to his second period, particularly rich in significant works. Considered by the composer as a response to the works of his illustrious predecessors such as Mozart, Beethoven, Bartok and Berg, the Second Quartet, with it's calculated anarchy, dynamic extremes and sublime climaxes, is not only one of Ligeti's masterpieces but also a true classic of modernism.Bela Bartok's Fourth Quartet, which had a particularly strong influence on Ligeti, is widely seen as one of his most radical; it requires high levels of technical accomplishment from the performers, yet reveals a deep understanding of the instruments, and draws an unprecedented range of colour and character from them.
Tracklist:
- String Quartet No. 1 "Métamoirphonese nocturnes"~I. Allegro grazioso
- String Quartet No. 1 "Métamoirphonese nocturnes"~II. Vivace, capriccioso
- String Quartet No. 1 "Métamoirphonese nocturnes"~III. Adagio, mesto
- String Quartet No. 1 "Métamoirphonese nocturnes"~IV. Presto
- String Quartet No. 1 "Métamoirphonese nocturnes"~V. Andante tranquillo
- String Quartet No. 1 "Métamoirphonese nocturnes"~VI. Tempo di Valse, moderato, con eleganza, un poco capriccioso
- String Quartet No. 1 "Métamoirphonese nocturnes"~VII. Allegretto, un poco gioviale
- String Quartet No. 1 "Métamoirphonese nocturnes"~VIII. Prestissimo
- String Quartet No. 4~I. Allegro
- String Quartet No. 4~II. Prestissimo, con sordino
- String Quartet No. 4~III. Non troppo lento
- String Quartet No. 4~IV. Allegretto pizzicato
- String Quartet No. 4~V. Allegro molto
- String Quartet No. 2~I. Allegro nervoso
- String Quartet No. 2~II. Sostenuto, molto calmo
- String Quartet No. 2~III. Come un meccanismo di precisione
- String Quartet No. 2~IV. Presto furioso, brutale, tumultuoso
- String Quartet No. 2~V. Allegro con delicatezza - stets sehr mild