R. Murray Schafer • violon, alto, violoncelles 8-12

Description

The quartets of R. Murray Schafer have held a prominent place in the repertoire of the Molinari Quartet since its founding in 1997. On numerous occasions, the Molinari Quartet has performed several Schafer quartets in a single concert, even marathons of the first seven quartets in one evening, as if each quartet were in fact a movement of a very long quartet. With this new recording of quartets Nos. 8 to 12, the listener will also rediscover this cyclical effect, as the works maintain numerous relationships with each other, both in terms of material and expression. Yet, each work is unique and stands on its own. Acclaimed by audiences and international music critics since its founding in 1997, the Molinari Quartet is dedicated to the rich repertoire for violon, alto, violoncelles of the 20th and 21st centuries. Recipient of fourteen Opus Awards presented by the Conseil québécois de la musique to recognize excellence in concert music, the Molinari Quartet is described by Canadian critics as an “essential” and “prodigious” ensemble, even as “the Canadian counterpart to the Kronos and Arditti Quartets.”