program:
Three fragments for string quartet (1966) 07:36 [01] I. Slowly 03:38 duality for string quartet and piano (2007/2008) 24:52 [04] I. Energy and decision 05:37 2nd string quartet (1997) 19:25 [09] 1. Sonata - Introduction 08:24 [13] Antiphon (1st string quartet) 17:35 Total playing time: 70:12 Minguet Quartet Markus Bellheim, piano [04–08] |
Press:
Issue #157 At seventy-four, York Höller is one of the most productive composers of his generation. (...) In addition to a preference for thinking further on what has been thought for centuries, there is a pronounced contempt for everything that is outdated, routine, schematic, the all too symmetrical, even just the coincidental. (...) “Three Fragments” for string quartet: three treasures by the twenty-two year old. Traces of memories of Webern, Bartók, and his own teacher Bernd Alois Zimmermann. (...) “Antiphon” for string quartet: a milestone in Höller's work. Key experience: Höller experienced Gregorian chant in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Forty-two-tone sound form. Often played and released on LP/CD, this is one of Höller's most popular compositions. (...) “Zwiegestalt” for string quartet and piano: A life shaped by tragic events is reflected once again in complex images of grief, despair and confidence, “Tranquillo misterioso e dolce” and “Energico e deciso” … All with dazzling recording technology and brilliant interpretation . Manfred Karallus
09/2016 “With works from four decades, the Minguet Quartet and the pianist Markus Bellheim provide an informative insight into York Höller’s chamber music oeuvre. (...) The four works are very different, but what they all have in common is a strong compositional will, which fuses the different suggestions and materials into a recognizable personal style.” (Max Nyffeler)
02/2017 ” … a perspective that has evolved across 50 years in string quartet alone. Hence the pointillist brevity of Three fragments (1966), the textural diffusion between instruments and electronics of antiphon (1976), the Bartókian gestures of his second quartet (1997) and the reassessment of an earlier Germanic expressive tradition in duality (2008) – where pianist Markus Bellheim matches the Minguet Quartet in unwavering commitment.” (Richard Whitehouse)
Recommendation in the New Magazine for Music!
“Strict construction and sensuality of sound are effortlessly combined with Höller. […] The fact that these processes become immediately apparent when listening is thanks to the great Minguet Quartet, who feel just as at home in “new music” as they do in the classical-romantic repertoire and, with their interpretations, penetrate into emotional and structural depths.” (Egbert Hiller)
12/2016 “York Höller, one of the most important figures in contemporary European music, has also written a number of traditionally scored string quartets. […] The Minguet Quartet perfectly balances heart and brain in music.” (Dirk Wieschollek) |
