more widmann! such a pleasure to share more of this quartet we’ve come to know so well.
widmann’s hunting quartet demands total emotional commitment, as well as extremely precise ensemble and technique. in addition to this it needs almost a “classical-era” treatment where all of the scaffolding that was needed to put these blocks into place must be removed in order for the piece to truly soar.
— this basically means that a listener shouldn’t be able to hear all of the mico-cues, listening for specific instruments for ensemble purposes, any feeling of unnaturally landing on beats, etc. when perceiving the performance as a whole. this is honestly true for all pieces but widmann required this kind of commitment as much as a piece by haydn would in order to sound good.
once we felt we could execute the work as accurately as possible, we pushed ourselves to internalize that feeling deep in our bodies as a quartet. in this way, we were able to make the sonic contrasts and the tempo/speed as extreme as possible, in line with the uncannily earnest, rabid character that the piece demanded… without having the ensemble fall apart.
check out the video for more on what’s actually going on in the piece. and find the whole performance on youtube! more clips to come….
performers: @rolstonquartet (@rule0917 , @jason.issokson , @hezviola , @eomnomnom )
director: larry weinstein
executive producer: barry shiffman
audio recording: @pouyamusicsound , @hotdamnitsben
video recording: @riddlefilms@liam_romalis
venue: @koernerhallrcm@theroyalconservatory
many thanks to the banff centre for arts and creativity!
#stringquartet #widmann #contemporaryclassical #jörgwidmann #newmusic
in this energetic, colorful work, gabriela lena frank depicts several instruments and legends native to her peruvian heritage. the chasqui, mvt 4’s namesake, is a legendary runner of the inca empire, relaying sensitive messages in a network that can communicate information up to 300 km away in a single day.
in the music, gabriela lena frank uses the quick turns, the interruptive composites built into the rapidly changing meter, and jagged arpeggiated runs to evoke the image and feel of a fleet-footed messenger, traversing the hilly topography of the andes mountains. this music demands that we never wait for anyone, and the experience of performing it while staying true to this character can be as thrilling as the premise of this movement.
music: gabriela lena frank // leyendas: an andean walkabout, iv. chasqui
performers: @rolstonquartet | @rule0917@jason.issokson@hezviola@eomnomnom
performed at: @calgarypromusica
#gabrielalenafrank #cellistsoftheworld #classicalmusic #stringquartet #chambermusic #peruvianmusic #worldmusic
jörg widmann’s ability to mix classical and avant-garde aesthetics is notably skillful. in his famous “jagdquartett” (hunting-quartet), the traditional hunting motif and the hint of functional harmony coexist with modern musical idioms’ uniquely visceral ability to illustrate unbridled wildness and chaos.
many works today aim to mix old and new aesthetics. but i find that the result often feels forced or artificial, and the piece can risk sounding like a gimmick. this widmann, despite using one of the most commonly referenced themes in classical music, is written in such a way that is not only effective but also full of layers, mystery, and meaning beyond the surface idea of aesthetic mixture. over the dozens of times we performed this quartet, we discovered new connections, new counterpoint, more structural elements, and got to continuously push into new sound-worlds. it always felt fresh.
here’s an excerpt from our recording of this work, in collaboration with documentarist larry weinstein and @liam_romalis and @riddlefilms .
#widmann #huntingquartet #classicalmusic #chambermusic #stringquartet #newmusic #contemporaryclassical #cellistsoftheworld
so much of this piece sprouts from the idea of the drone: a single pitch that is held, usually against a melody. drones have existed in music for centuries and are still used today for various aesthetic goals. i personally have found practicing with a drone to be almost therapeutic or spiritual, listening for those delicious differential pitches and for the rub of overtones.
in haydn, the presence of a drone usually invites a certain kind of harmonic resistance, coming from the awareness that every moment in the melody and rhythms are forming intervals against an oblique pitch. this of course invites a certain kind of phrasing, and i find haydn’s awareness of how various drones can affect the sound and character of the playing to be especially masterful.
yet another example of how this music’s seemingly simple exterior belies a much deeper understanding of the human condition.
#classicalmusic #stringquartet #haydn #haydnquartet #chambermusic #cellistsoftheworld
one of the most significant musical awakenings i’ve had was with the haydn string quartets. this music has such a simple exterior that it can easily be mistaken as basic or even boring (!!!) by some. but within this simplicity there is an uncanny amount of details and layers, and the music also lends itself extraordinarily well to all manner of different ideas — it is truly flexible music. at the highest level, this music can exemplify the pinnacle of invention, while never betraying that surface simplicity. the result can feel quite touching.
these principles of excavating meaning and interest from the simplest building blocks can be applied to any and all music, ranging from bach and beethoven to kurtág and adès. to this day, among the most satisfying work i’ve done was to explore haydn so deeply alongside my colleagues in @rolstonquartet . almost every concert we did together had two haydn quartets — which amounts to hundreds of haydn performances… and we committed to ensure that not a single performance of these quartets would feel routine.
here’s a snippet of one of those performances.
#classicalmusic #haydn #haydnstringquartet #chambermusic #stringquartet
how can seemingly “simple” music sound so interesting? i find that a virtuosity of details especially shines in classical period music.
in this scherzo movement by haydn, there is a lot in the music that suggests subtle differences in the voicing, releases of notes, harmonic tension, slurs and articulation, and beat hierarchy. all of these layers, some of which can contradict in beautiful ways, contribute to a tapestry of subtle details where not a single note is routine. this population of differences brings life to these phrases that are so simple on the surface.
so excited to be working alongside my colleagues in @rolstonquartet on @canadianchamberorchestra ’s debut album recording, where we will perform elgar’s introduction and allegro.
(slightly shortened for instagram… 🥹)
haydn: string quartet in c major, op. 33 no. 3, “the bird”
ii. scherzo: allegretto
#stringquartet #chambermusic #haydn #classicalmusic #haydnquartet #rolstonquartet
We had so much fun working with the students at Kookmin University as part of our South Korea tour celebrating 60 years of diplomacy with Canada and South Korea. Thank you so much to @shin.yoonkyung for having us! Everyone seriously sounded so great and demonstrates why Korea continues to be one of the leading countries for excellent string playing. Keep it up everyone!
국민대학교 학생들과 마스터클래스 하게 초대해준 신윤경 교수님에게 많은 감사를 드립니다! 너무 재밌었고 학생들 다 연주 또 준비도 너무 잘되있어서 우리도 정말로 즐거운 기험이었읍니다. 정말로 한국이 현악기 연주를 앞서가는 나라중에 하나라는거를 다시 입증한 학생들 스스로 자랑스럽기를 바랍니다.
can you tell where he was?
have fun peter 🫡
#rsq #notatour #what #violin #violinist #viola #violist #cello #cellist #strings #quartet #stringquartet #rolstonstringquartet #music #classicalmusic #musician #tour #musiciansoninstagram #germany #munich #100daysofpractice #바이올린 #비올라 #첼로 #현악기
