Bartók, Schulhoff & Janáček: Lettres intimes Quatuor Voce

• Béla Bartók (1881-1945): String Quartet No. 1, Sz. 40:
• 1 I. Lento 09:25
• 2 II. Allegretto 08:59
• 3 III. Allegro vivace 12:17
• Erwin Schulhoff (1894-1942): Five Pieces for String Quartet:
• 4 I. Alla valse viennese (Allegro) 01:59
• 5 II. Alla serenata (Allegretto con moto) 03:26
• 6 III. Alla czeca (Molto allegro) 01:36
• 7 IV. Alla tango milonga (Andante) 03:52
• 8 V. Alla tarantella (Prestissimo con fuoco) 02:45
• Leos Janáček (1854-1928): String Quartet No. 2 "Intimate letters":
• 9 I. Andante 06:07
• 10 II. Adagio 06:00
• 11 III. Moderato 05:18
• 12 IV. Allegro 08:06
• Total Runtime 01:09:50

Info for Bartók, Schulhoff & Janáček: Lettres intimes

The Quatuor Voce, which recently celebrated its tenth anniversary, follows up its two recordings of Mozart with Juliette Hurel (Alpha 204) and Brahms with Lise Berthaud (Alpha 214) by inviting us on a journey to central Europe. The three works recorded here were written over a period of twenty years. Two of them allude to their composer’s love lives. Bartók’s First Quartet might be seen as Beethoven’s Quartet no.17. The intense opening Lento is a lyric-dramatic movement that transposes an unhappy experience of love. No previous quartet had come so close to the Beethovenian ideal.

Janáček’s Second Quartet reflects his love for Kamila Stösslová, and is a faithful mirror of emotions in all their spontaneous and constantly shifting authenticity. Schulhoff was one of the first Jewish composers to fall victim to Nazi barbarity. Inventive, omnivorously curious, he was a virtuoso pianist who performed both jazz and serial music. His Five Pieces consist of a suite of dances in different styles, successively Alla Valse viennese, Alla Serenata, Alla Czeca, Alla Tango milonga and Alla Tarantella.

Quatuor Voce

Quatuor Voce
“One of the best French quartets I have heard for some years (...). The Quatuor Voce has every quality that goes to make a good quartet: refinement, beautiful tone, excellent ensemble, precise chording, fine rhythm and loads of character.” Tully Potter, The Strad

In only a few years the Quatuor Voce has received numerous prizes in international competitions, most notably Geneva, Cremona, Vienna, Bordeaux, Graz, London and Reggio Emilia. Giving concerts worldwide, the quartet also works regularly with many outstanding artists such as Yuri Bashmet, Gary Hoffman, Nobuko Imai, Bertrand Chamayou, David Kadouch, Juliane Banse...

Following a nomination from the Cité de la Musique in Paris, the European Chamber Hall Organisation (ECHO) has named the quartet as Rising Stars for the 2013-2014 season.

Since its debut in 2004, the Quatuor Voce has been committed to championing the great repertoire for string quartet, seeking guidance from some of its leading exponents (the Ysaÿe Quartet, Günter Pichler, Eberhard Feltz).

Dedicating its first CD release to the music of Schubert, the recording was the critic’s choice in The Strad and was given 'ffff' in Télérama.

Open to the diverse influences of the world which surrounds them, the Voce regularly work closely on new commissions from modern day composers - Bacri, Cresta, Finzi, Markéas, Mantovani, Moultaka, Looten... Their curiosity has lead them to experiment with different forms of concert performance : they give their voice to silent movies from W. F. Murnau to B. Keaton, and share their universe with such diverse personalities as the musicologist Bernard Fournier, the singer and guitarist -M-, the Canadian singer Kyrie Kristmanson, and choreographer Thomas Lebrun.

At the heart of the quartet is a strong desire to transfer their experience, be it teaching younger quartets or encouraging amateur players on music courses.

Since its creation the Quatuor Voce has benefited from the support of numerous organisations, most notably ProQuartet CEMC, the Théâtre de la Cité Internationale, the Fondation Banque Populaire, the Académie Musicale de Villecroze, the Instituto Albéniz in Madrid, and the Fondation Charles Oulmont.

Sarah Dayan plays on a violin by Stefano Scarampella (1888), Cécile Roubin a violin by Francis Kuttner (2010), Guillaume Becker a viola by Aymeric Guillard (2005) and Lydia Shelley a cello by Bernard Simon Fendt (1830).

This album contains no booklet.