The Smith Quartet return to Signum with a new album of commissions and world premiere recordings, all centered on the theme of ‘Dance’.
The featured programme is a veritable ‘who’s-who’ of contemporary composition, including works from Michael Nyman, Graham Fitkin, Jon Lord, Michael Finnissy and Django Bates.
20th February 2011
****
“This is an exuberant collection of 14 short pieces, each by a different composer. All are played with vim and technical brilliance...the variety of response to the rhythmic impulse is impressive.”
The Independent on Sunday
13th March 2011
“The Smith Quartet shimmy their way through a vibrant selection of overt and covert dances by living composers: with John Adams' "Pavane" and Kevin Volans' "First Dance" the most familiar and Elena Kats-Chernin's "Naïve Waltz" the most elegant.”
May 2011
****
“With a smorgasbord of aesthetic approaches...some tracks inevitably appeal more than others. Finnissy's seditious upending of a classical minuet, with dance-steps forced to trip over themselves, is the standout moment for this listener...Django Bates's faux-Irish reels end matters on an exhilarating high.”
Click on any of the works listed above for alternative recordings.
