Composer: György Ligeti
Performer: Quatuor Diotima
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: PentaTone
Catalogue: PTC5187061
Release: 2023
Size: 206 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
String Quartet No. 1, “Metamorphoses nocturnes”
01. I. Allegro grazioso
02. II. Vivace, capriccioso
03. III. Adagio, mesto
04. IV. Presto
05. V. Prestissimo
06. VI. Andante tranquillo
07. VII. Tempo di Valse, moderato, con eleganza, un poco capriccioso
08. VIII. Subito prestissimo
09. IX. Allegretto, un poco giovale
10. X. Poco più mosso
11. XI. Prestissimo
12. XII. Ad libitum, senza misura
Andante and Allegretto for String Quartet
13. I. Andante cantabile
14. II. Allegretto poco capriccioso
String Quartet No. 2
15. I. Allegro nervoso
16. II. Sostenuto, molto calmo
17. III. Come un meccanismo di precisione
18. IV. Presto furioso, brutale, tumultuoso
19. V. Allegro con delicatezza
Quatuor Diotima makes its Pentatone debut with a recording of Györgi Ligeti’s string quartets. While the second quartet from 1968 is an avant-garde classic, the first from 1953-54, “Metamorphoses nocturnes”, is often nicknamed Bartók’s seventh quartet, pointing out the continuity between these two Hungarian master composers. Despite moments of nostalgia, it already possesses the ferocious, adventurous nature of the later quartet. In-between these two iconoclast works, the Andante and Allegretto from 1950 offers an intimate moment of repose. The members of Diotima long postponed recording Ligeti’s string quartets, intimidated by their significance in music history and the demands they place on the players, but now the time has come to pursue this fascinating project and share it with the world. The quartet is fascinated by the cinematic qualities of Ligeti’s music and its use in films, including Stanley Kubrick’s 2001 A Space Odyssey. The album cover pays homage to that iconic movie. Quatuor Diotima is one the most in-demand chamber ensembles in the world today, and has worked in close collaboration with several of the greatest composers of the late twentieth century. Reflected in the mirror of today’s music, the quartet projects a new light onto the masterpieces of the 19th and 20th centuries.