Fragment of the string quartet Silent Walls-'Novelty of form selected modulations strange tone colours the use of completely unexpected rhythms' this is how Camille Saint-Saëns praised the debut work of a young colleague and continued: 'Above everything is a charm that surrounds the whole work and makes the mass of average listeners accept the most surprising audacities as something entirely natural.' The First Violin Sonata by Gabriel Fauré (1845 1924) was indeed an extraordinary composition which at the same time opened the way for the oeuvre of one of the most important French composers in the late 19th century and early 20th century: It was particularly with songs and pianomusic that he could win the heart of the audience. In the 1870s Fauré wrote three songs which were originally not meant to be a unity but were later assembled under opus number 7. The first song is 'Après Un Rêve' a romantic rapturous song which like a 'Song Without Words' by Mendelssohn is perfect for making music with an accompanied solo instrument.

Joseph Haydn's Die Sieben Letze Worte Unseres Erlösers Am Kreuze. The Seven Last Words of Our Savior on the Cross' Op.51 In 1785 or '86 Haydn received a commission from the Canon of Cadiz for what would serve essentially as 'incidental' music for a Good Friday service (akin to the one centering upon The Stations of the Cross although there are twelve of those) in which the celebrant recites in turn each of Christ's utterances on the way to Calvary then gives a 'reflection' thereupon followed by music to accompany a brief interval of silent congregational prayer. To this Haydn added an introductory movement and a conclusiondepicting the earthquake that followed the passing of Jesus. The structure of the work then is: Introduction -- 'Father forgive them for they know not what they do.' -- Sonata 1 -- 'Verily I say unto thee today shalt thou be with me in Paradise.' -- Sonata 2 -- 'Woman behold thy son.' -- Sonata 3 -- 'My God my God why hast thou forsaken me?' -- Sonata 4 -- 'I thirst.' -- Sonata 5 -- 'It is finished.' -- Sonata 6 -- 'Father into thy hands I commend my spirit.' -- Sonata 7 -- Conclusion (Earthquake)

Par JOLAS BETSY. 'Almost half a century after 'B for sonata', here is another musical evocation of my intriguing trip to Bali. Yannis Xenakis and Toru Takemitsu were there, among others, and we were walking around in the dark one evening when a Topeng appeared to us, in full action: Balinese musical theatre with one actor successively playing several legendary characters by means of mask changes carried out in extreme agitation behind a curtain, accompanied by a raging gamelan. The memory of these little dramas has naturally lost much of its violence when it is evoked today in my 'Quartet VIII'. So we shall hear it here as if in a dream...'' Betsy Jolas / Date parution : 2022-06-08/ Répertoire / Quatuor à Cordes

Avec les acteurs de la chaîne sérieux ce compositeur letton reconnaît depuis longtemps en raison de ses concepts tonales sonores et son idiome modale, parfois aléatoire. Fonctionne comme ' Cantabile per Archi ' ou ' Musica dolorosa ' est déjà assez bien connue, mais des morceaux plus récents comme le Concerto pour violon avec orchestre à cordes ' Fernes Licht ', commandée par Gidon Kremer pour sa Kremerata Baltica, gagnent aussi en exposition échelle internationale. Le genre du Quatuor à cordes est bien représenté en sortie de Vasks. Le 2e Quatuor 'Summer Tunes' (ED 8512) a été publié depuis un certain temps et la 3ème a été créée par le Kronos Quartet, qui étaient tellement enthousiaste qu'ils a commandé un 4e Quatuor. En 1996, invité par un enregistrement complet de tous ses quatuors par le Quatuor À cordes de Miami de conifères Records Vasks totalement révisé son début 1er Quatuor 1996, il est ici présenté pour la première fois dans une édition imprimée. / Quatuor A Cordes