Saxton: String Quartets Nos. 3 & 4; Sonata for Solo Violin "Reflections in Time" Peter Sheppard Skærved & Kreutzer Quartet

• Robert Saxton (b. 1953): String Quartet No. 3:
• 1 Saxton: String Quartet No. 3: I. Departure and Return 03:21
• 2 Saxton: String Quartet No. 3: II. Winter Light 03:58
• 3 Saxton: String Quartet No. 3: III. Dance 03:44
• 4 Saxton: String Quartet No. 3: IV. Sea Ground 04:31
• 5 Saxton: String Quartet No. 3: V. Continuing Journey 03:09
• Sonata for Solo Violin "Reflections in Time":
• 6 Saxton: Sonata for Solo Violin "Reflections in Time": I. 05:14
• 7 Saxton: Sonata for Solo Violin "Reflections in Time": II. 04:07
• 8 Saxton: Sonata for Solo Violin "Reflections in Time": III. 04:00
• 9 Saxton: Sonata for Solo Violin "Reflections in Time": IV. 04:38
• 10 Saxton: Sonata for Solo Violin "Reflections in Time" V. 07:32
• String Quartet No. 4:
• 11 Saxton: String Quartet No. 4: I. Wavebreak 02:35
• 12 Saxton: String Quartet No. 4: II. Time Spiral. Passacaglia 04:39
• 13 Saxton: String Quartet No. 4: III. Nightscape 03:58
• 14 Saxton: String Quartet No. 4: IV. …the dancing will never be done… 06:20
• 15 Saxton: String Quartet No. 4: V. …at the still point of the turning world… 03:52
• 16 Saxton: String Quartet No. 4: VI. Hymn 03:10
• 17 Saxton: String Quartet No. 4: VII. Daybreak 04:28
• Total Runtime 01:13:16

Info for Saxton: String Quartets Nos. 3 & 4; Sonata for Solo Violin "Reflections in Time"

"Reflections in Time" vereint drei Hauptwerke von Robert Saxton, die die expressiven und strukturellen Grenzen des Streichquartetts und der Solovioline erweitern. Dieses Album, dessen Stücke vom renommierten Kreutzer-Quartett und dem Geiger Peter Sheppard Skaerved aufgeführt werden, veranschaulicht auf wunderbare Weise Saxtons Fähigkeit, intellektuelle Strenge mit tief bewegendem musikalischem Geschichtenerzählen zu verbinden. Das Streichquartett Nr. 3 (2009) entfaltet sich in fünf kunstvoll verwobenen Sätzen, die einen Weg durch zyklische Formen und wechselnde modale Landschaften bahnen. Ein Werk von fesselndem Kontrast, das von der meditativen Strenge von "Winter Light" zur treibenden Energie von "Dance" übergeht, bevor es mit "Continuing Journey" schliesst, einem Satz, der sich in der Resonanz seines eigenen Anfangs auflost. Die Sonate fur Solovioline "Reflections in Time" (2023), die fur Skaerveds Kunstwerk geschrieben und von diesem inspiriert wurde, ist eine tiefgründige Erkundung von Symmetrie, Erinnerung und Transformation. Mit einer Struktur, die an die palindromischen Formen von Johann Sebastian Bach und Alban Berg erinnert, fordert das Werk die Wahrnehmung musikalischer Bewegung heraus und schafft eine organische Verbindung zwischen Klang und bildender Kunst. Das Streichquartett Nr. 4 (2023) ist eine Meditation über Schöpfung und Erneuerung, die einen Aufstieg durch sieben Sätze darstellt, die jeweils mit einem symbolischen Tonhöhenkreis verbunden sind.

Sein Herzstück, "... the dancing will never be done...", ist ein eindringlicher und unruhiger Tanz, umrahmt von introspektiven Bewegungen, die den Lauf der Zeit und die menschliche Erfahrung betrachten.

Peter Sheppard Skaerved, Violine
Kreutzer Quartet

Peter Sheppard Skærved
is acclaimed internationally for performances of a vast range of solo repertoire. His repertoire stretches from the late 16th century to hundreds of works written for him: these include major works by composers by established ‘greats’ such as Hans Werner Henze and George Rochberg, to the many young composers with whom he collaborates worldwide.

Peter is a Grammy-nominated recording artist, with over one hundred critically acclaimed albums to his name. These range from concerto discs with orchestras including the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra to the complete Tartini Solo Sonatas, 24 Telemann Fantasies, cycles of Beethoven, Mozart, and Schubert Sonatas, eight discs of solo works from the 1600s and many recordings of the works dedicated to him. Upcoming releases include the Westhoff Suites, complete Julius Röntgen solo works, Bartok Duos, Nielsen solo works, Rode Caprices, and Norwegian traditional Slåtter. Peter is currently performing, filming, and recording on great instruments in the collections of the Library of Congress, Washington DC, the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, the Metropolitan Museum, New York City. Peter is Honorary Professor at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music, London, and visiting Research Fellow of Goldsmiths, University of London. He regularly gives masterclasses and workshops at schools across the USA, including Peabody Conservatoire, Vanderbilt University, Ithaca College, Middlebury College, Cornell University and many more.

Peter’s wide ranging ‘Knowledge Exchange Violin’ Project brings together an extraordinary group of museums: from Europe’s oldest, the Ashmolean Museum Oxford, to the Metropolitan Museum New York City, the Zagreb Arts & Crafts Museum the National Gallery of Art Washington DC, and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Alongside them are a range of institutions, from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds to the Royal Academy of Music London. Peter is collaborating with them producing films, exhibitions, recordings, podcasts and events which explore the interrelationships between music, art and the environment. institutions ranging from the National Gallery of Art Washington DC and the Museo Stradivari in Cremona, through to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in the UK, with a linked series of concerts, recordings, residencies, films, recordings, podcasts and much more.

The Kreutzer Quartet
has rapidly established itself as one of the most sought after string quartets in the UK. They appear regularly at the major London venues and have made many live and studio recordings for the BBC, and major networks all over Europe. They have taken their extremely eclectic programmes to Italy, Germany, France, Holland, Serbia, Montenegro, Sardinia, the US, Spain, Cyprus, Poland, and Lithuania. Recent critical and publically acclaimed performances have been at the Warsaw Autumn Festival, de Doelen, Rotterdam, Quartet 2000, Manchester, and the Vilnius Philharmonic Festival.

The Kreutzers have a busy recording schedule, reflecting their commitment to musical exploration. Following the critical acclaim accorded their releases of cycles of quartets by Gerhard, Finnissy, Birtwhistle, Tippett, and Hallgrimsson, the quartet are in the process of recording and releasing ground-breaking recordings of contemporary music while also keeping a hand in the classical repertoire with a forthcoming Metier disc of Beethoven. They have a particularly strong association with the Metier label, and have also recorded for Naxos, NMC, Chandos, Guild and New Focus.

Booklet for Saxton: String Quartets Nos. 3 & 4; Sonata for Solo Violin "Reflections in Time"