Playing On The Edge
Navona, 2019
8/10
An ensemble consisting of Gregor Huebner (violin), Ron Lawrence (viola), Jeremy Harman (cello) and Fung Chern Hwei (violin), the Sirius Quartet offer us 5 pieces penned by contemporary composers with an unparalleled vision.
Ian Erickson’s “Oloo” starts the listen with brash strings in an ambient setting that takes us on a adventure through both serene and busy atmospheres, and “String Quartet No. 3” (Marga Richter) follows the elegant, classical ideas that build into tense, cinematic bouts of haunting and later on playful landscapes.
The back half of the listen brings us Brian Field’s “String Quartet No. 1”, which manipulates mood and atmosphere with precision, while “Sneak Into The Q-City” (Mari Tamaki) presents string acrobatics with dynamic interplay that twists and turns with musicianship that’s hard to emulate but easy to enjoy.
A genre defying listen that takes classical and chamber ideas into the fold, the 4 artists here turn in a fantastic, innovative and unpredictable journey that we’re lucky to be able to accompany them on.
Travels well with: Bill Whitley- Then Elephant Speaks; Lachlan Skipworth- Lachlan Skipworth