Not a Single Road Seldom Sene

• Aspasia Nasopoulou (b. 1972): 10 Dipoles:
• 1 10 Dipoles: I. Good - Bad 01:40
• 2 10 Dipoles: II. Even - Odd 03:25
• 3 10 Dipoles: III. One - Many 03:52
• 4 10 Dipoles: IV. Female - Male 01:56
• 5 10 Dipoles: V. Still - Moving 03:48
• 6 10 Dipoles: VI. Dark - Light 02:20
• 7 10 Dipoles: VII. Right - Left 01:29
• 8 10 Dipoles: VIII. Straight - Bent 02:58
• 9 10 Dipoles: IX. Square - Oblong 02:48
• 10 10 Dipoles: X. Limited - Unlimited 03:05
• Sören Sieg (b. 1966): Mathongo amnandi - African Suite No. 24:
• 11 Mathongo amnandi - African Suite No. 24: I. Free as a Bird 02:15
• 12 Mathongo amnandi - African Suite No. 24: II. Dream Stories 02:57
• 13 Mathongo amnandi - African Suite No. 24: III. Blue Earth 02:11
• 14 Mathongo Amnandi - African Suite No. 24: IV. Awakening 03:14
• Paul Leenhouts (b. 1957):
• 15 Quo quondam victa furore 04:31
• Thanasis Deligiannis (b. 1983): A Bit Unfair:
• 16 A Bit Unfair: I. January 03:42
• 17 A Bit Unfair: II. Little Squirrels 02:42
• 18 A Bit Unfair: III. A Bit Unfair 07:10
• Total Runtime 56:03

Info zu Not a Single Road

New pieces for recorder consort, written for and dedicated to the talents of a young Dutch ensemble with a growing catalogue of critically acclaimed recordings.

For their ‘commitment, technical versatility, unanimity of ensemble and near-immaculate tuning’ (Gramophone) the five musicians of Seldom Sene have won golden opinions in repertoire ranging from songs and dances from Renaissance Spain and England to their own transcription of Bach’s Goldberg Variations: ‘With passionate command, skilful precision, nuanced dynamics and their outstanding potential for colouring, the ensemble succeeds in creating a surprising spectrum of enchanting, unheard-of sounds from Bach's Variations without compromising the “idea” of the work.’ (MDR.de)

Now they undertake a new adventure, having commissioned pieces from four composers of diverse backgrounds and idioms. Aspasia Nasopoulou has written a collection of 10 miniatures – ‘Dipoles’ – which are inspired by opposites such as Male/Female, Bent/Straight, One/Many and so forth, giving rise to a cycle of high contrasts. Her fellow Greek composer Thanasis Deligiannis plays on the talents of Seldom Sene as singers as well as instrumentalists in setting a triptych of texts in English by the poet Iacovos Camhis, with the whimsical title of a bit unfair.

Sören Sieg’s work brings together the joyful and relaxed temperament of much African music with the dramatic tension of European music. As a multi-talented composer and performer on wind, string and keyboard instruments he has composed 24 recorder suites: this is the latest, titled Mathongo Amnandi, meaning ‘sweet Dreams’ in Xhosa. Finally Seldom Sene play Quo quondam victa furore ('Where once madness excelled') by the Dutch composer Paul Leenhouts: a character piece telling a pastoral story from Roman literature which extols the virtues of a simple country life. Leenhouts, too, has a background in early music, as a distinguished performer and director in his own right: like the others, he has composed a vividly communicative piece which is beautifully tailored to the talents of Seldom Sene.

Seldom Sene is a recorder quintet on a mission to redefine the art of consort, namely in performing and arranging works seldom heard, in a manner seldom seen. Their innovative programming and CD recordings have earned them the highest international praise: “A model of creative and thoughtful programming…the playing is of the highest order, immaculate intonation and perfect ensemble” (Musicweb), “With passionate command, skillful precision, nuanced dynamics, the ensemble succeeds in creating a surprising spectrum of enchanting, unheard-of sounds” (MDR.de).

This new recording presents works which were commissioned by the ensemble from contemporary composers: Aspasia Nasopoulou, Thanasis Deligiannis, Sören Sieg and Paul Leenhouts. The composers wrote the introduction to their own works in the booklet.

Seldom Sene previously recorded for Brilliant Classics “Delight in Musicke, English 16/17 century Consort music”, “El aire se serena, music from 16th century Spain”, “Bach: Goldberg Variations”, “Taracea”.

Seldom Sene

Seldom Sede
Recorder quintet Seldom Sede was formed in 2009 after the five performers met at the Amsterdam Conservatoire. Among the awards won by the group are First Prize at the 2009 Concours International d’Ensembles de Flûte in Le Mans, France (their debut) and the Interpretation Prize at the 17th Concours International de Musique de Chambre d’Illzach in 2011 by a unanimous jury. The ensemble has been hailed as ‘Outstanding because of their excellent musical interpretation and beautiful choice of repertoire’ (Frédéric de Roos, 2009) and has appeared all over Europe in concert series and festivals. The musicians perform on a collection of more than 50 recorders.

Whilst searching for more unfamiliar repertoire, one of the first pieces to catch their attention was "Seldom Sene" by the English composer Christopher Tye – a short work full of beauty, precision and striking rhythmic complexity that they felt captured the essence of their vision: performing unique and compelling repertoire at a standard that is seldomly seen and heard. Since their foundation, "Seldom Sene excels because of their excellent musical interpretation and beautiful choice of repertoire" (Frédéric de Roos, Le Mans 2009).

Seldom Sene gave recitals in renowned series and festivals in Belgium, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Austria, Portugal and Spain. Taracea, their first CD for the Dutch label Brilliant Classics was released in September 2014.

Booklet für Not a Single Road