Cuarteto Italiano

The oeuvre of the Argentinean composer Sergio Parotti is not only large in quantity, but also in variety of formats. His extensive catalogue includes symphonic and operatic works as well as chamber music and works for solo instrument.

The oeuvre of the Argentinean composer Sergio Parotti is not only large in quantity, but also in variety of formats. His extensive catalogue includes symphonic and operatic works as well as chamber music and works for solo instrument.

After being subjected to public attacks by the Soviet regime in the mid-1930s, Shostakovich sought new avenues of self-expression by turning to chamber music, and the string quartet became for him the perfect medium for private confession. To launch their complete Shostakovich cycle, members of the Cuarteto Casals offer deeply insightful readings of the first five quartets-works that are pivotal in the composer's oeuvre.

Boccherini owes his celebrity to more than just the infamous Minuet of the Quintet Op.11 No.5 - although that is included here too. This recording rights the balance with some elan: from the brilliant castanets of the Fandango to the much more Viennese style of the String Quartet, the musicians of the Cuarteto Casals and their guests demonstrate the infinite creative resources of the composer. It culminates in the Night Music of the Streets of Madrid, a vivid example of musical realism in which, as Boccherini put it, ‘the strict rules of counterpoint’ would be out of place!

After being subjected to public attacks by the Soviet regime in the mid-1930s, Shostakovich sought new avenues of self-expression by turning to chamber music, and the string quartet became for him the perfect medium for private confession. To launch their complete Shostakovich cycle, members of the Cuarteto Casals offer deeply insightful readings of the first five quartets-works that are pivotal in the composer's oeuvre.

The oeuvre of the Argentinean composer Sergio Parotti is not only large in quantity, but also in variety of formats. His extensive catalogue includes symphonic and operatic works as well as chamber music and works for solo instrument. Contrary to what common sense might presuppose, the task of composing for a single instrument is often more complex and challenging than composing for a larger organ. The reason is simple: in such cases, both the composer and the performer must take up the challenge of maintaining the audience's attention and enjoyment with limited resources.

The oeuvre of the Argentinean composer Sergio Parotti is not only large in quantity, but also in variety of formats. His extensive catalogue includes symphonic and operatic works as well as chamber music and works for solo instrument. Contrary to what common sense might presuppose, the task of composing for a single instrument is often more complex and challenging than composing for a larger organ. The reason is simple: in such cases, both the composer and the performer must take up the challenge of maintaining the audience's attention and enjoyment with limited resources.

Quartet Surkos will perform live "First Quartets of America", a record that brings together three pieces by Pedro Ximénez Abrill Tirado (1784-1856), a Peruvian musician nicknamed "The Rossini of America", for the great impact he had in life. The CD had a Music Fund (Surkos.com) and to make it possible to record these works, which had been untouched for 200 years, several fortunes were concatenated.

This recording showcases 3 string quartets by 3 Galician composers from 3 consecutive centuries: Adalid (19th century), Arriola (20th century) and Durán (21st century). Each composer represents the experiences of their respective lifetimes in Galicia, a place with a true vocation for universality.Marcial del Adalid (1826–1881) was born into a family with a great musical tradition. After studying in London with Ignaz Moscheles, one of Beethoven’s disciples, Adalid became one of the main representatives of the ‘Rexurdimento’, a Romantic nationalist movement in Galicia. Adalid recovered traditional Galician melodies which had, up until then, only been transmitted orally, and put them in his work Cantares viejos y nuevos de Galicia.

This recording showcases 3 string quartets by 3 Galician composers from 3 consecutive centuries: Adalid (19th century), Arriola (20th century) and Durán (21st century). Each composer represents the experiences of their respective lifetimes in Galicia, a place with a true vocation for universality.