Carducci Quartet's Philip Glass CD on Naxos Gets Great Review in
Glass – String Quartet nos. 1-4
Carducci Quartet
Naxos 8.559636
August 2010
By opening the disc with the Second Quartet, the Carducci has chosen to begin with the most readily accessible of Philip Glass’s five quartet scores. Created by combining four short interludes from a 1983 staging of Samuel Beckett’s prose-poem ‘Company’, it came at a time when Glass was fully immersed in his now familiar Minimalist style.
The Third followed two years later and used music from the film documenting the life of the Japanese author Yukio Mishima. It’s strong and dramatic in content, and its weight and gravitas continue into the Fourth Quartet written in memory of the experimental artist Brian Buczak.
For the First Quartet, we go back to 1966 and a time when Glass was still searching for a musical identity that would discard serialism. If he wasn’t quite successful in forging an individual voice, the two-movement score is still striking.
Bringing these works to life requires a multitude of nuances and spotless intonation, and the young British-based Carducci Quartet flawlessly meets the challenge. The intricate web of sound throughout is rhythmically precise and crystal clear, with minute changes of dynamics unfailingly achieved. The recording is generous in the lower reaches, adding to Emma Denton’s richly toned cello.
-David Denton
Claire Chase's 'Aliento' Receives Outstanding Review in Amercian Record Guide
CD Review
By Chaffee
DAVIS: preApnea
ECKARDT: 16
FUJIKURA: Poison Mushrooms
GUZMAN: Prometeo & Epimeteo
TOLEDO: Aliento/Arrugas
YUN: Run in a Graveyard
Claire Chase: Fl
New Focus 106- 58 minutes
Claire Chase has been active in the New York new music scene for nearly a decade. She is executive director and co-founder of the International Contemporary Ensemble. Groups like this peak and fade quickly; it is a testament to her skills and leadership that this group has been active for quite a while. She is also an extraordinary musician. She won the coveted Concert Artist Guild competition in 2008, a rare feat for a flutist. We will be seeing a lot of her in the coming years. In fact, just as I was about to write this, the NY Times review of her recent Carnegie debut caught my eye. She played an astonishing program-- Bach, Donatoni, Boulez, and Paganini, apparently with dazzling proficiency. Look out world, here comes a monster.
This is her debut recording. Everything about it is commendable, from the playing to the beautiful packaging. If you are going to make a splash with a debut, this is the way to do it. She obviously wanted to eschew the typical path of other big name competition winners, too-- rather than record flashy concertos and standard literature, she put together a program of challenging pieces composed in the last decade or so. The pieces defy description-- you must simply hear this for yourself.
Claire Chase is clearly interested in pushing the boundaries of what is means to be a "virtuoso" flutist. It is a noble and daring path, and she deserves the highest praise. Flutists and non-flutists alike should find this stunning.
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