Lyell Cresswell: Music for String Quartet - CD

About

Two ends of the world are bridged in this compelling survey of string chamber music by Lyell Cresswell, whose unique body of work has been a vital presence in his adopted home of Scotland for four decades now while retaining qualities of light, space and openness that evoke his native New Zealand. The imposing String Quartet plays host to a wealth of detail which enriches but never obscures the ‘long, strong tune’ that threads through the work. Capricci is a set of vividly individual dances, Ricercari a sequence of variations inspired by Cresswell’s favourite living painter. Instrumental virtuosity comes to the fore in Kotetetete, whose title puns on ‘quartet’ and on the Maori word for ‘chattering’.

Performed by Red Note Ensemble

‘The arched intensity of this performance is breathtaking’
★★★★★ – The Scotsman

‘The virtuosity of Red Note Ensemble’s playing makes for a warm recommendation, not least for those to encounter Cresswell’s distinctive sound world’
– Gramophone Magazine

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