Saariaho Chamber Works for Strings, Vol. 1 Meta4 feat. Anna Laakso and Marko Myöhänen

• 1 Tocar 07:11
• 2 I. Sombres miroirs 08:10
• 3 II. Soupirs de l'obscur 06:15
• 4 Calices I 05:57
• 5 Calices II 04:32
• 6 Calices III 05:11
• 7 Spins and Spells 06:50
• 8 Nocturne 05:11
• 9 Nymphea, 'Jardin secret III' 21:35
• Total Runtime 01:10:52

Info for Saariaho Chamber Works for Strings, Vol. 1

This is the first of two releases of Chamber Works for Strings by Kaija Saariaho. The second will be released in 2014.

Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho is a master of soundscapes. Her orchestral works weave tapestries of sound that are both earthy and other-worldly. And as this new collection shows, her nuanced approach to music is equally effective with the limited forces of chamber groups.

Although the string quartet META4 are the featured artists, they only perform together on one track -- Nymphéa. The rest of the selections are for a single string instrument with varying types of accompaniment: Tocar, and Calices for violin and piano; Vent nocturne for viola and electronics; Spins and Spells for cello solo, and Nocturne for violin solo.

Nymphéa is composed for string quartet plus electronics. And Saariaho applies said electronics with a very light touch. She uses them to enhance the sound of the acoustic instruments, almost like super-saturating the colors of a photograph. The electronics heighten the emotional intensity of the string quartet in this pensive work.

Meta4 Quartett:
Antti Tikkanen, violin
Minna Pensola, violin
Atte Kilpeläinen, viola
Tomas Djupsjöbacka, cello

Anna Laakso, piano
Marko Myöhänen, electronics

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Booklet for Saariaho Chamber Works for Strings, Vol. 1