Beautifully Loyal Nicole Edwards

Recordings that include strings quartets by Schoenberg, Berg, and Webern are common, but an album that includes music for quartet and voice by each of them is a rarity. Schoenberg's Second String Quartet, with a part for soprano in its third and fourth movements, is standard repertoire, but the version of Berg's Lyric Suite with a vocal part in the final movement is highly unusual, and Webern's bagatelle with voice, an unpublished movement apparently once intended to be part of the Six Bagatelles, Op. 9, receives what is probably its first recording. Novelty aside, the high standards of these performances make this a formidable release. Founded just before the turn of the millennium, Quatuor Diotima plays with the assurance and mutual understanding of a seasoned ensemble. The quartet has a lean, clean sound and the ensemble is immaculate, playing with exquisite expressiveness, an ideal combination for this repertoire.

The Loyal Seas are Tanya Donelly (Throwing Muses, Breeders, Belly) and Brian Sullivan (Dylan in the Movies). Their debut full-length features 10 glorious originals available on CD, LP and Cassette. Mastered by Sean Glonek at SRG studios (Matthew Sweet, Juliana Hatfield, Waxahatchee), with original artwork by Nicole Anguish at Daykamp Creative (Nada Surf, Letters to Cleo, Lake Street Dive).