Bearbeitung für Streichquartett-This piece reflects Janácek?s memories of childhood and youth in his native Hukvaldy and the Augustinian Abbey in Brno. Kry?tof Maratka a Czech composer resident in France and a great admirer of Janácek has arranged the original version to produce a welcome addition to the string quartet repertoire.Youth for wind sextet is a masterpiece from Janácek?s late period (1924). Maratka has successfully managed to transform the concise winds? sound that give this work its unique flavour into the timbre of the strings thereby creating a ?third string quartet? of the composer.- Janácek?s wind sextet arranged for string quartet- Welcome addition to thestring quartet repertoire- Foreword by the arranger (Cz/Eng/Ger)- Set of parts (BA11543) and study score format 22.5 x 16.5cm (TP521) available for sale

Into the faded air was commissioned by Britten Sinfonia for first performance at Filharmonic Hall Krakow Poland on Sunday 13th January 2008 with Jacqueline Shave (Violin) Miranda Dale (Violin) Clare Finnimore(Viola) Catherine Musker (Viola) Caroline Dearnley (Cello) and Banjamin Chappell (Cello).Scoring: String Sextet (2 Violins 2 Violas and 2 Cellos)Duration: 10 minutes Composer'sNotes 'Into The Faded Air is cast in four movements although the last three movements are played without a break.In the first movement the sextet is divided into twogroups. The first group consisting of violin viola and cello plays a sustained melody while the second group (also violin viola and cello) contributes more jagged and intricate material. The second movement is an extended duetfor two violas accompanied by the other instruments. As the movement progresses the accompanying instruments become more prominent. The third movement is the only fast movement in the piece with rapid semiquavers and much useof pizzicato throughout. This leads into a serene chorale where the three upper instruments (two violins and first viola) are set against the second viola and two cellos.' - HelenGrime

At the end of the 18th century the town of Cádiz in southern Spain provided the backdrop for a Passion to mark Christ?s hour of death; its focal point was the reading and interpretation of Christ?s last words. Haydn wascommissioned to write short meditative music to be played alternately with the readings. Haydn composed a work for orchestra. Due to its success the publisher commissioned Haydn to make an arrangement for string quartet. As thewind instruments double the strings for the most part only a few changes had to be made to the string parts. Here is the Henle Urtext Edition of Joseph Haydn's The Seven Last Words of Christ arranged for StringQuartet based upon on the musical text of the Haydn Complete Edition.

String Quartet No.3 'Three Miniatures' was composed by Per Nørgård in 1959. Manuscript copy. Programme Note: The spectrum of sound the gesticulation in short the very nature of the strings has always had a central place in my output demonstrated by the numbers of string quartets concertos with string soloist chamber and solo works. The interest dates back to my school years when I was fortunate to be able to compose for a cello-playing schoolmate and to accompany him on the piano. I discovered then the innumerable nuances of sound and playing varieties offered by just one bow four strings and fivefingers... The Three Miniatures for string quartet has a consequent experimental structure that dictates every note in the three extremely short movements. Each member of the quartet thus plays his own little melody a certain (but different) number of times so that the brand new soundscopes constantly appear in spite of the unchanging parts due to their different length. Per Nørgård

Commissioned by the Presteigne Festival of Music and the Arts Limited with funds provided by the Arts Council of Wales for premiere in August 2012 by the Carducci String Quartet in St. Andrew?s Church Presteigne.Composer's Note'Some years ago I noted down the opening theme of what I anticipated would be a relatively Classical string quartet ?Classical? in the sense of the forms adopted plus perhaps a predominantly lyrical tone of voice. The commission for this work from the Presteigne Festival for their 30th anniversary in 2012 gave me the opportunity of putting into practice this long-held idea. It isdedicated to the Festival and to the Carducci Quartet whose career as much-admired friends and colleagues I have greatly enjoyed.The only break with ?classical? tradition is that there are five movements instead of four with two Scherzi as the second and third though both these are very short and contrasting. I found myself listening to Haydn?s string quartets a lot before and during the composition of this work and I hope the spirit of his delight in writing for this medium is echoed in my own music. The opening movement is in sonata form unusually for me and lyricism is I hope the basis of it though there is a good deal of activity at times. The Scherzo light and marked by frequently-changing rhythms is followed by an equally short but ferocious Perpetuum mobile marked Wild und rasch (one of my favourite German tempo markings). The fourth movement is an intense Adagio in which a single phrase uttered strongly in unison is gradually transformed into gentle diatonic chords before the close intermingled with cadenzas for cello for viola and for the two violins together. The finale (a Rondo) resumes the classical tone of the first movement but apart from one dance-like episode it builds up a fair head of steam towards a final Presto which however ascends slows and quietens towards a gentle summer sky at dusk.'