David Matthews: Complete String Quartets, Volume One
To date David Matthews (b. 1943) has written seven symphonies and eleven string quartets. 'I have continued’, he explains, 'along a path similar to that taken by Tippett and Britten: one rooted in the Viennese Classics – Beethoven above all – and also in Mahler, Sibelius and the early twentieth-century modernists. I have always been a tonal composer, attempting to integrate the musical language of the present with the past, and to explore the rich traditional forms.’ This first volume of his complete string quartets presents works written between 1981 and 2001.
Kreutzer Quartet, string quartet
Peter Sheppard Skærved, violin
Mihailo Trandafilovski, violin
Morgan Goff, viola
Neil Heyde, cello
Listen To This Recording:
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String Quartet No. 4, Op. 27 (1981)
- I. Poco lento – Andante con moto
- II. Molto vivace
- III. Adagio sostenuto
- IV. Allegro
- Adagio for String Quartet, Op. 56a (1990)
- I. Allegro moderato e flessibile
- II. Adagio
- II. Allegro energico
- I. Lontano
- II. Vivace
String Quartet No. 6, Op. 56 (1991)
String Quartet No. 10, Op. 84 (2000)
CatholiCity :
‘These works are full of exquisite moments. Some of the music is searing, much of it dances and sings, and some of it is achingly beautiful and tender. It is all brimming with life. I found the adagio sostenuto in Quartet No. 4 and the Lontano movement in the Tenth Quartet to be heart-stoppingly beautiful. The great good news is that this is Volume One in what will be a complete cycle of Matthews’s eleven quartets – though a twelfth quartet is on the way. The Kreutzer Quartet plays this music with staggering conviction and skill. This release exemplifies the mission of Toccata Classics and why such a label is absolutely necessary.’
—Robert Reilly, CatholiCity
MusicWeb International :
‘Each of these string quartets in its own way clearly demonstrates Matthews’ fresh approach to the medium. Incidentally the same might be said about any of his symphonies. The writing for strings is superbly realised and the memorable and often beautiful thematic material considerably contributes to one’s enjoyment of the music.
The Kreutzer Quartet’s polished and committed readings are a joy from start to finish and are superbly rendered by Toccata’s natural, warm recorded sound. This very fine release is a most welcome addition to David Matthews’ growing discography. I hope that the forthcoming instalments will be released soon.’
—Hubert Culot, MusicWeb International
Ritmo Magazine :
‘En conjunto, edición casi indispensable en el contexto de la música británica actual. Muy buena la interpretación del Cuarteto Kreutzer.’
—J.B., Ritmo Magazine March/April 2013
Fanfare Magazine :
‘the [fourth] quartet is a richly communicative example of Matthews’s wide-ranging sonic imagination and qualities of assimilation. […] If you like contemporary quartet writing that stands in the great lineage and that is lyrically expressive, colorful, and imbued with imaginative delicacy as well as drive, then listen to this one. […]
[the 10th quartet] is a delight from beginning to end and subtle usages, such as the use of metal mutes to increase the sense of quietude and distance, only add to the nature depiction Matthews evokes in this delightful work. Indeed the whole disc, splendidly recorded and played, offers varied and consistent rewards.’
—Jonathan Woolf, Fanfare Magazine July/August 2013
Musical Pointers :
‘Matthews is a prolific tonal composer who attempts to integrate the musical language of the present with the past […]
They made for compelling listening […]
The recording by Amazing Sounds at the Royal Academy of Music in London is – well, amazing. Excellent autobiographical and programme notes by the composer himself enhance the value of this CD. […]
Recommended and looking forward to the completion of the set.’
—Peter Graham Woolf, Musical Pointers