AN ARC OF QUARTETS
Michael G. Cunningham
Sirius Quartet | The Moravian Quartet | The Pedroia Quartet
The New England Quartet | The Millennium Quartet
OVERVIEW
As the title of this album suggests, AN ARC OF QUARTETS gives listeners unique access to a continuum of composer Michael G. Cunningham’s intricate and inviting string music. Five international string ensembles present the album’s seven compositions, including Sirius Quartet from New York; The Moravian Quartet from the Czech Republic; the Millennium Quartet from Florida; and The Pedroia Quartet and New England String Quartet, both from Massachusetts.
These groups’ performances of Cunningham’s work present the hallmarks of his style of string writing, which is defined by a focus on rhythm, melody, and texture, as well as his gentle, yet often dissonant, harmonic language. Although these quartets contain a wide range of sounds and styles, Cunningham maintains a reliable attraction to tense, lyrical melodies, and energetic rhythms.
One specific string effect that pervades these works is the glissando, or slide sound, that is produced easily on string instruments. In the middle of String Quartet No. 3, we can hear glissandi spangle an all-pizzicato section, while in the “Zestful” movement of String Quartet No. 5, these sliding gestures are decorated with a trill. This piece’s marriage of Cunningham’s typical style with uncontrollable, rhythmic energy marks it as one of the more abstract works on the album.
Cunningham’s quartets utilize special sounds as accents to a core of intriguing textures, evocative melodies, and momentum-building rhythms, all of which remain compelling throughout the album. The composer’s impressive skill at creating musical lines is displayed particularly strongly in the “Song and Fantasia” movement of his String Quartet No. 1, a piece defined by both soulful lyricism and intense contrapuntal motion.
Overall, one can admire both the experimentation and consistency present in Cunningham’s string music, as highlighted by the works included on AN ARC OF QUARTETS. The quality of each of these pieces speaks to the strength of his approach to composition.
HIGHLIGHTS
Michael G. Cunningham is a prolific and versatile composer, having written over 200 compositions for virtually every medium. He is a respected educator and the author of more than ten books about composition and music theory
AN ARC OF QUARTETS is his sixth solo release on Navona and his first composed for string quartets. Five renowned, international groups perform the album’s compositions
Across seven works, Cunningham explores elements of dissonance and intense rhythm along with his standard harmonic style
Choir & Organ Magazine praised Cunningham’s orchestration on his last Navona release WISDOM, LOVE, ETERNITY, highlighting how each piece “stretches conventional tonality to the limit, often suggesting inexpressible mystery within quite orthodox forms”
ALSO ON NAVONA
(NV6027) WISDOM - LOVE - ETERNITY
Micheal G. Cunningham
CREDITS
Quartet No. 1 Opus 10/14
Quartet No. 2 THREE SATIRES Opus 22
Recorded January 29 & 30 2016 at MixOne
Studios in Boston MA
Recording Session Producer Matt Konrad
Recording Session Engineer Adam Weiss
Quartet No. 3 PARTITIONS Opus 69
Recorded September 16, 2016 at Reduta
Hall in Olomouc Czech Republic
Recording Session Producer Pavel Kuncar
Recording Session Engineer Jakub Stratílek
Quartet No. 4 INTERLACINGS Opus 117
Recorded October 27, 2016 at MixOne
Studios in Boston MA
Recording Session Producer John Page
Recording Session Engineer Adam Weiss
Quartet No. 5 AGGREGATES Opus 137
Recorded December 15, 2011 at Shalin Liu
Performance Center in Rockport MA
Recording Session Producer Andy Happel
Recording Session Engineer Tom Stephenson
Quartet No. 6 DIGITAL ISORHYTHM Opus 215
Recorded August, 2008 and March, 2009 at
ERMMedia Studios in Portsmouth VA
Recording Session Producer Robert Ian Winstin
Recording Session Engineer Bill Douglas
Quartet No. 7 BACK HOME Opus 241
Recorded July 22, 2016 at Reduta Hall in
Olomouc Czech Republic
Recording Session Producer Pavel Kuncar
Recording Session Engineer Aleš Dvorák
Executive Producer Bob Lord
Executive A&R Sam Renshaw
Audio Director Jeff LeRoy
Engineering Manager Lucas Paquette
Editing & Mixing Shaun Michaud, Levi Brown, Lucas Paquette
Mastering Shaun Michaud
Art & Production Director Brett Picknell
Graphic Designer Emily Roulo
Marketing Scott Murphy
Release Date March 10, 2017
Catalog #: NV6081
TRACK LISTING
DISC ONE
Quartet No. 1 Opus 10/14 1959
Sirius Quartet | Fung Chern Hwei violin Gregor Huebner violin
Ron Lawrence viola Jeremy Harman cello
01 I. Easter Variations
02 II. Song and Fantasia
Quartet No. 2 THREE SATIRES Opus 22 1967
Sirius Quartet | Fung Chern Hwei violin Gregor Huebner violin
Ron Lawrence viola Jeremy Harman cello
03 I. Brusque
04 II. Candidly
05 III. Crisp and Energetic
Quartet No. 3 PARTITIONS Opus 69 1975
The Moravian Quartet | Vít Mužík violin Igor Kopyt violin
Dominika Mužíková viola Jiří Fajkus cello
06 I. quarter note = circa 70
07 II.
08 III.
09 IV.
Quartet No. 4 INTERLACINGS Opus 117 1985
The Pedroia Quartet | Jae Cosmo Lee violin Rohan Gregory violin
Peter Sulski viola Jaques Wood cello
10 I. Beginning
11 II. Scherzo
12 III. Adagio
13 IV. Finale
DISC TWO
Quartet No. 5 AGGREGATES Opus 137 1988
The New England String Quartet | Julia Okrusko violin
Konstantin Rybakov violin Lilit Muradyan voila Ming-Hui Lin cello
1 I. Zestful
2 II. Languid
3 III. Spirited
Quartet No. 6 DIGITAL ISORHYTHM Opus 215 2001
The Millennium Quartet | Jorge Aguirre violin Simon LaPointe violin
Beverly Kane Baker viola Michael Daniels cello
4 I. Caleando/Slargando
5 II. Canso
6 III. Energico
Quartet No. 7 BACK HOME Opus 241 2005
The Moravian Quartet | Vít Mužík violin Igor Kopyt violin
Dominika Mužíková viola Jiří Fajkus cello
7 I. Con Carita
8 II. Andante
9 III. Vivace
10 IV. Con Slancio
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