Rastrelli Effect Rastrelli Cello Quartet

• Mischa Degtjareff (b. 1978): Melody:
• 1 Degtjareff: Melody 02:34
• Kirill Timofeev (b. 1978): City Rain:
• 2 Timofeev: City Rain 03:42
• Kira Kraftzoff (b. 1971): The Walk:
• 3 Kraftzoff: The Walk 01:48
• Mischa Degtjareff: Blue Waltz:
• 4 Degtjareff: Blue Waltz 02:47
• Kirill Timofeev: Impressions:
• 5 Timofeev: Impression No. 1 for Cello Quartet 01:18
• 6 Timofeev: Impression No. 2 for Cello Quartet 02:10
• 7 Timofeev: Impression No. 3 for Cello Quartet 02:29
• Mischa Degtjareff:
• 8 Degtjareff: Vocalise for Cello Quartet "Vagram Saradjan in Memoriam" 03:56
• Kirill Timofeev: From "Music for Children":
• 9 Timofeev: From "Music for Children": I. The Cobbler 00:59
• 10 Timofeev: From "Music for Children": II. Fairytale 02:29
• 11 Timofeev: From "Music for Children": III. The Chase 01:16
• 12 Timofeev: From "Music for Children": IV. The Witch 01:21
• 13 Timofeev: From "Music for Children": V. Snow White 01:44
• 14 Timofeev: From "Music for Children": VI. Minuet 01:08
• Kirill Timofeev: Unknown Movie:
• 15 Timofeev: Unknown Movie 02:30
• Kirill Timofeev: Swing on 16 Strings:
• 16 Timofeev: Swing on 16 Strings 02:57
• Kira Kraftzoff: Farewell to the Aliens:
• 17 Kraftzoff: Farewell to the Aliens 02:09
• Kira Kraftzoff, Anastasia Kravtsov, Sergio Drabkin: Moonlight:
• 18 Kraftzoff, Kravtsov, Drabkin: Moonlight 02:58
• Mischa Degtjareff: Lullaby:
• 19 Degtjareff: Lullaby 02:42
• Kirill Timofeev: Snow Lambada:
• 20 Timofeev: Snow Lambada 03:20
• Kirill Timofeev: The Old Boy
• 21 Timofeev: The Old Boy 03:16
• Mischa Degtjareff: Rusty Sound:
• 22 Degtjareff: Rusty Sound (Bonus Track) 02:33
• Total Runtime 52:06

Info for Rastrelli Effect

And all pieces in this album are exclusive original compositions. We composed them during the last few years, and each of us has tried to find his very own voice. And yet every piece on this album is the result of our collegiality, our mutual support, reflecting our constant exchange on our individual tastes and preferences, as well as our critiques and the sense of humour of each Rastrelli member.

This album provided each of us with a good opportunity to grow, to set new goals, to solve new tasks, to develop new methods. But our most important prerequisite from the very beginning has remained: our strong desire to express the music that each of us hears and feels within himself, sharing it, first among the colleagues and now with our audience! In this project, too, we have again recognised that music is the finest means of communication among people. That is why we dare to present this colourful collection of music to our listeners and friends. May you enjoy it as much as we do!

Rastrelli Cello Quartet

Rastrelli Cello Quartet
The four gentlemen of the Rastrelli Cello Quartet began working together in 2002 and have devoted themselves ever since to exploring and experiencing the cello's world of sound. They are committed to tradition, but completely uncoupled from the conventional approach, which only serves as a solid foundation. Since then, the ensemble has built up a unique and broad repertoire, the likes of which can't be found anywhere else.

The very personal bond that the quartet has with its home city of St. Petersburg is manifest through the name they chose for their ensemble, inspired by the 18th century architect responsible for a number of prominent historical buildings in St. Petersburg. Bartholomeo Rastrelli shaped the image of the city in northern Russia like no other.

The Rastrelli repertoire consists almost exclusively of arrangements by Sergio Drabkin, one of the quartet's founding members. Under the artistic direction of the charismatic virtuoso, Kira Kraftzoff, Drabkin's refined compositions lead the quartet on a journey through an individual and often unexpected musical landscape.

Each of the gentlemen contributes his unique character, experiences and perspectives to the overall picture, and so two of the artistic director's former students, Mischa Degtjareff and Kirill Timofeev, also members since 2002, contribute to the quartets ongoing success.

The four Rastrelli cellists only perform music that they themselves love—that's a matter of absolute conviction when it comes to putting together their programs. The quartet usually treats its audience with a mixture of arrangements of chamber music works, orchestral classics, and standards of cello literature, as well as popular music, jazz, klezmer or tango.

The listener experiences a thundering symphony orchestra when Modest Mussorgsky's "A Night on the Bald Mountain" sounds from the stage, and is then tenderly embraced by "Andante Cantabile," a Russian folk song which Peter Tchaikovsky arranged for string quartet. Perhaps you will hear the "Zigeunerweisen" by Pablo de Sarasate or Drabkin's "Paganissimo," which offers every musician plenty of room for virtuosity. Speaking of which... showy virtuosity is an ever-present element which continuously accompanies the musical encounter. At the same time, Rastrelli display in a unique way the incredible diversity of their instrument.

The art of transformation becomes, without exception, an authentic adventure in sound for the listener. There are always four cellos and yet you think you are hearing an old piano playing ragtime, a saxophone of the Glenn Miller Orchestra, or Piazzolla's bandoneon.

The Rastrelli Cello Quartet has recorded eight CDs to date, which present very diverse styles of music and give an extensive survey of the repertoire of the ensemble. The CD "Cello in Classic" was nominated for the "Record 2008" in Russia and won the silver award, only behind Luciano Pavarotti's "Pavarotti Forever" (Universal Music). Two of the albums were produced together with the clarinetist, Giora Feidman, with whom the quartet has had a long term artistic collaboration.

Since its inception, the quartet has been a guest on festival stages, concert halls and radio stations worldwide. These include the Royal Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the Berlin Philharmonic, the Mariinsky Theater St. Petersburg, Lincoln Center New York, Beethoven Festival Bonn, Beauvais Cello Festival (France), Rheingau Music Festival, Oberstdorfer Musiksommer, Meadowlark Music Festival in Lincoln / Nebraska (USA), European Music Festival Sofia (Bulgaria), Boswiler Summer Festival (Switzerland), Ohrid Summer Music Festival (Macedonia), Linköping Music Festival (Sweden), Schleswig Holstein Music Festival, Rio International Cello Encounter Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) and the Bucharest Sonoro Festival (Romania).

This album contains no booklet.