For it's first recording for BIS Records, the Marmen Quartet tackles three major works from the twentieth-century string quartet literature. The two quartets by Gyorgy Ligeti belong to two different periods in the composer's output. Written before Ligeti left Hungary and emigrated to the West, the First, subtitled 'Metamorphoses nocturnes', represents the peak of his 'Hungarian' period. Regarded as a virtuoso exercise, the work reveals the influences of Bela Bartok, particularly from his Third and Fourth Quartets. Ligeti's Second Quartet belongs to his second period, particularly rich in significant works. Considered by the composer as a response to the works of his illustrious predecessors such as Mozart, Beethoven, Bartok and Berg, the Second Quartet, with it's calculated anarchy, dynamic extremes and sublime climaxes, is not only one of Ligeti's masterpieces but also a true classic of modernism.Bela Bartok's Fourth Quartet, which had a particularly strong influence on Ligeti, is widely seen as one of his most radical; it requires high levels of technical accomplishment from the performers, yet reveals a deep understanding of the instruments, and draws an unprecedented range of colour and character from them.

Tracklist:

String Quartet No. 4~I. Allegro
String Quartet No. 4~II. Prestissimo, con sordino
String Quartet No. 4~III. Non troppo lento
String Quartet No. 4~IV. Allegretto pizzicato
String Quartet No. 4~V. Allegro molto
String Quartet No. 2~I. Allegro nervoso
String Quartet No. 2~II. Sostenuto, molto calmo
String Quartet No. 2~III. Come un meccanismo di precisione
String Quartet No. 2~IV. Presto furioso, brutale, tumultuoso
String Quartet No. 2~V. Allegro con delicatezza - stets sehr mild

UPC: 7318599926933
Label: Bis
Release Date: 1.17.25
Format: CD

Bartok / Ligeti / Marmen Quartet - Ligeti: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2; Bartok: String (CD)