Quatuor Strada

Simon Zaoui, Pierre Fouchenneret and Raphael Merlin here resume, and complete, their exploration of the chamber works of Gabriel Fauré:, begun in 2018 with the first volume of Horizons. Far from the prevailing trends of the early 20th century, Fauré's music for piano and strings testifies to the singularity of his language, constantly moving between past and future. Joined by violist Marie Chilemme for the two piano quartets, and by members of the Strada Quartet for the string quartet and quintets, the three friends present a carefully considered version of these masterpieces, recorded here for the first time using the material of the new Barenreiter edition.

Pour Johannes Brahms, l’essence et la spécificité même de la musique de chambre se nichaient dans le quatuor à cordes, et la forme lui inspirait tant de respect et d’exigence qu’il brûla par dizaines ses premiers essais en la matière. C’est dire si les trois quatuors réunis ici, auquel s’adjoint naturellement le sublime quintette avec piano, représentent la substantifique moelle de l'oeuvre du grand "Viennois", un magique point d’orgue dans cette exceptionnelle intégrale Brahms dans le cadre de série de concerts de "La Belle Saison".

The evolution of classical music in the last quarter of the 20th century has often been described as that from an era marked by structure moving to one that seeks its inspiration in sound. It is not only the quest for novel and striking timbres – similar to the quest for new harmonic or rhythmic systems – but also the notion of sound as a model of structure.

This new showpiece in the Collection Diotima, in which the eponymous quartet devotes itself to monographies of contemporary composers, offers here a triple line-up of some of the foremost composers of their generation: this album is a living image of serious music today, which in this 21st Century has focused on exploring the multifaceted realm of sound. Stefano Gervasoni (b. Italy, 1962), Gérard Pesson (b. France, 1958) and Enno Poppe (b. Germany, 1969) has each, in his own way, renewed the tradition and technique of writing for the string quartet.

Au fil de l’art en musique is a musical companion to the stunning international collection at the Montreal Museum of Fine Art in the new Michal and Renata Hornstein Pavilion for Peace.
The 16 pieces selected for this recording were inspired by the Museum’s 800 works, which include landscapes, sacred scenes, portraits, genre scenes, and still life. The music spans several centuries — from a motet by the late medieval composer John Dunstable to Astor Piazzolla’s tango, Loving. Music by Gabrieli, Praetorius, Schütz, Chopin, Wagner, Debussy, Weill, and Rota, among others, were chosen to correspond to a specific era, region, or artistic movement reflected in the Museum’s collection.