Brooklyn Rider - Philip Glass: String Quartets Nos. 6 And 7 (2017)

Posted By: Designol

Date: 16 Mar 2018 23:31:13

It’s often said that the distilled essence of composers can be heard in their string quartets. And so it is with Glass, whose quartets here show a craftsman of considerable invention. String Quartet No. 6 begins as a bustling burst of dense energy, its second movement beautifully meandering, rich, and complex. The single-movement String Quartet No. 7 is almost Beethovenian in its restless questioning. Arranged for string quartet (with two violas), the Saxophone Quartet is warmly scored and yet shows Glass at his most forensic, with each bar stunningly sculpted.

The New York-based string quartet Brooklyn Rider have featured Philip Glass as part of their eclectic repertoire since their formation over 10 years ago. This recording of Glass’s String Quartets Nos 6 and 7 follows on from their 2011 release of the composer’s String Quartets Nos 1 5 (8/11).

The disc actually starts off with the quartet’s own arrangement of Glass’s Saxophone Quartet (1995). Set out in alternating pairs of movements in a slow-fast-slow-fast sequence, the understated first movement gives way to a propulsive, Bartók-like second, frequently punctuated by rhythmic unisons. A similar dancelike atmosphere is conjured up in the final movement, while the introspective third makes particularly effective use of the deeper, resonant timbre of a quartet comprising two violas rather than the usual two violins.

If the Saxophone Quartet represents easy-listening Glass, his String Quartet No 6 (2013) lies at the opposite end. Set out this time in three movements, the Sixth draws from Spuren der Verirrten (‘The Lost’), Glass’s large-scale multimedia opera for Linz Opera written around the same time. Texturally dense, full of abrupt contrasts and edgy harmonies, the first movement builds up to a series of dissonant chordal statements that carry echoes of the ‘Es muss sein’ moment from the finale of Beethoven’s Op 135 String Quartet. These sharp juxtapositions prevent the music from ever fully settling, although the ending does offer a resolution.

The String Quartet No 7 (2014) is in many respects the most interesting work on display here. Unlike Glass’s other quartets, the seventh unfolds in a single 17-minute span, wherein both simple/complex and more introverted/extrovert elements of the composer’s musical character are explored. It’s a work that demands further listening, which is perhaps not always the case with Glass.

Review by Pwyll ap Siôn, Gramophone

Philip Glass at Allmusic
Philip Glass Website
Philip Glass at Wiki

Brooklyn Rider at Allmusic
Brooklyn Rider Website
Brooklyn Rider at Wiki

Brooklyn Rider:
Johnny Gandelsman, violin
Colin Jacobsen viola (1-4), violin (5-8)
Nicholas Cords, viola
Michael Nicolas, cello

Recorded on June 13 & 14, 2017

Tracklist:

Saxophone Quartet (1995)
arranged by Brooklyn Rider for violin, two violas & cello
01. Movement I (6:02)
02. Movement II (5:40)
03. Movement III (7:27)
04. Movement IV (4:48)

String Quartet No.6 (2013)
05. Movement I (8:21)
06. Movement II (8:34)
07. Movement III (6:26)

08. String Quartet No.7 (2014) (16:51)

EAC log

Exact Audio Copy V1.0 beta 4 from 7. December 2014

EAC extraction logfile from 14. March 2018, 22:09

Philip Glass / String Quartets Nos.6 and 7

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TOC of the extracted CD

Track | Start | Length | Start sector | End sector
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1 | 0:00.00 | 6:01.55 | 0 | 27129
2 | 6:01.55 | 5:40.21 | 27130 | 52650
3 | 11:42.01 | 7:26.60 | 52651 | 86160
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7 | 40:51.09 | 6:25.60 | 183834 | 212768
8 | 47:16.69 | 16:50.70 | 212769 | 288588

Range status and errors

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Copy CRC CDFCD5F2
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AccurateRip summary

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Track 2 not present in database
Track 3 not present in database
Track 4 not present in database
Track 5 not present in database
Track 6 not present in database
Track 7 not present in database
Track 8 not present in database

None of the tracks are present in the AccurateRip database

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DR log

foobar2000 1.2 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2018-03-17 04:16:35

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Analyzed: Philip Glass / String Quartets Nos.6 and 7
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

DR Peak RMS Duration Track
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
DR9 -0.40 dB -12.54 dB 6:02 01-Saxophone Quartet - Movement I
DR7 -0.36 dB -8.92 dB 5:40 02-Saxophone Quartet - Movement II
DR10 -0.39 dB -14.27 dB 7:27 03-Saxophone Quartet - Movement III
DR7 -0.37 dB -8.88 dB 4:48 04-Saxophone Quartet - Movement IV
DR8 -0.37 dB -11.55 dB 8:21 05-String Quartet No.6 - Movement I
DR9 -0.36 dB -13.40 dB 8:34 06-String Quartet No.6 - Movement II
DR7 -0.38 dB -9.84 dB 6:26 07-String Quartet No.6 - Movement III
DR9 -0.39 dB -13.10 dB 16:51 08-String Quartet No.7
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Number of tracks: 8
Official DR value: DR8

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Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 16
Bitrate: 706 kbps
Codec: FLAC
================================================================================

All thanks to original releaser - GFox

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