Gifts and Greetings

With this CD on Winter & Winter, the Arditti String Quartet celebrates 40 years of cutting-edge performances. Long recognized as the leading string quartet in avant-garde circles, and admired for the brilliance and virtuosity of its performances of the most demanding works, the Arditti gave its first concert in March, 1974, and over four decades it has not stopped rehearsing, studying, performing, and recording the most challenging music of our time. This program consists of 14 short works by some of the most prominent contemporary composers -- Wolfgang Rihm, Hans Abrahamsen, Toshio Hosokawa, Brian Ferneyhough, Brice Pauset, Mark Andre, Marco Stroppa, Liza Lim, Harrison Birtwistle, Hilda Paredes, James Clarke, Georg Friedrich Haas, Uri Caine, and Johannes Maria Staud -- and the variety of their compositions makes this survey a fascinating exploration of innovative techniques and original concepts. Adventurous listeners will be impressed by the Arditti's fearlessness and directness in approaching this uncompromising music, and the liner notes by violinist Irvine Arditti provide background information that will be helpful to those just discovering the group.

結成40周年というのも実におめでたいことなのだが、古今東西の作曲がそれを祝って楽曲をプレゼントするというのもこの上なくおめでたい。1974年の結成以降、40年の歴史の中でこと20世紀以降の作品を取り上げ世に送り続けてきたアルディッティ弦楽四重奏団。そんな彼等の節目と功績を祝って贈られた17曲のバースデープレゼント。W.リームにB.ファーニホウ、細川俊夫といった錚々たる作曲家がこれに参加。それらを初演した2014年の記念すべきコンサートが待望のCD化。これは彼等アルディッティ弦楽四重奏団のみならず、現代音楽を愛する僕らにとっても記念碑となりうる至高の名盤ではないだろうか。
intoxicate (C)板谷祐輝