The Czech Republic's Stamic Quartet takes its name from the Bohemian composer whose name is more often spelled Stamitz, and the group has specialized in Czech Classical and Romantic repertory. You might not pick out their background as likely to produce strong recordings of Sofia Gubaidulina's string quartets, but try these out: they're extraordinary. Gubaidulina's quartets are all in single movements. The String Quartet No. 4, composed in 1993, uses electronic elements to shift prerecorded music by a quarter tone, but even ...
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The Czech Republic's Stamic Quartet takes its name from the Bohemian composer whose name is more often spelled Stamitz, and the group has specialized in Czech Classical and Romantic repertory. You might not pick out their background as likely to produce strong recordings of Sofia Gubaidulina's string quartets, but try these out: they're extraordinary. Gubaidulina's quartets are all in single movements. The String Quartet No. 4, composed in 1993, uses electronic elements to shift prerecorded music by a quarter tone, but even the earlier quartets, although entirely acoustic, seemed to suggest electronic textures. Gubaidulina revels in small motives that develop through small shifts in texture or tonal content. Her music is at once very rigorously structured and quite sensuous on its surface. It is, moreover, very challenging for the players, who have to master extended techniques like striking the strings with rubber balls while maintaining high degrees of tension and tonal precision. The Stamic Quartet...
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