Owen Underhill: Songs And Quartets
Collection QB, 2025
9/10
Listen Owen Underhill: Songs And Quartets
The inimitable quartet Quatuor Bozzini are aligned with Vancouver’s Owen Underhill for these 4 classical and avant-garde influenced pieces that also take help from the poets Henry Vaughn and Sir Walter Raleigh.
The powerful and graceful “The Retreat” opens with Daniel Cabena’s soaring countertenor alongside the stirring strings, and “Northern Line- Angel Station (String Quartet No. 2)” follows with Clemens Merkel’s gripping violin amid Isabelle Bozzini’s well timed cello to enhance the mood.
The back half offers us the brighter qualities of “What Is Our Life?”, where Cabena’s expressive pipes are complemented by the sometimes tense strings, while “String Quartet No. 5- Land and Water” allows for Marina Thibeault’s viola and Alissa Cheung’s meticulous violin to help cultivate an animated versus introspective album highlight.
This is the 2nd time that Underhill has worked with Quatuor Bozzini, and again the results are superb, where the orchestral and chamber influences are fleshed out with incredible detail and timelessness.
Travels well with: Quatuor Bozzini- Jürg Frey: String Quartets; Quatuor Bozzini- Rebecca Bruton + Jason Doell: a root or mirror, blossom, madder, cracks; together