In 2017, when NMC and Wigmore Hall chose Bracing Change as the title for their new series of string commissions, they had no idea of the change lying ahead for the planet. Now in a world only beginning to process the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, amongst so much other turbulence, we present the second instalment in the series, introducing three new works to the string quartet repertoire. The composers
Mark-Anthony Turnage, Paul Newland, and
Helen Grime, all contribute to the rich history of the medium in hugely varying musical voices, as they collaborate with three of the most distinguished, internationally-renowned string quartet ensembles today.John Gilhooly CBE, Wigmore Hall Director, says, This ground-breaking partnership between Wigmore Hall, The Radcliffe Trust and NMC Recordings continues with Mark-Anthony Turnage's
Contusion. The
Piatti Quartet deservedly received a prize for their magnificent interpretation of the piece, when it was the compulsory work for the 2015 Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition. This recording of the revised version - which was premiered by the Piatti Quartet - dates from a few years later, following further deep engagement with the work. It is described by The Guardian as a 'concise, poignantly balanced one movement cry of pain'. The exceptional Montreal-based
Quatuor Bozzini brings us Paul Newland's
difference is everywhere (altered), in which subtly shifting chordal textures build gradually to create a uniquely haunting sense of beauty. The album closes with Helen Grime's
String Quartet No. 2. Helen was Wigmore Hall's first female Composer in Residence and her new quartet was created against the particularly intense backdrop of pandemic lockdowns in 2020 and 2021. It is premiered here by the
Heath Quartet.
The pace changes with Paul Newland's sparse and evocative work dominated by cluster chords. Quatuor Bozzini [�] present exemplary ensemble throughout this quietly powerful piece. � BBC Music Magazine
the quartet [String Quartet No. 2 � Helen Grime] is categorically no mere lockdown project, having indeed already been in gestation before COVID-19 hit Europe; the music has a grace, lyricism and ultimate optimism about it that few people in mid-2020 would have felt. � Presto Music
The Heath Quartet bring out the music's sharp juxtapositions in a consummate performance that combines visceral thrust and power alongside moments of delicate beauty. � Gramophone
GRAMOPHONE EDITORS CHOICE: JUNE 2023
The NMC label offers us another superb insight into contemporary quartet-writing � three composers, three ensembles, and three compelling performances. � Gramophone Recordings of the Year / Editor's Choice November 2023
