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

Lubo? Fi?er (1935?1999) was one of the most distinctive figures of Czech music in the 20th century and composed the Variations on an Unknown Theme in 1976. The ?unknown theme? was a prankish eight-bar theme from Fi?er?s student days. In the elation following the home-team win over Canada on 15 March 1959, he made a bet with his colleague Kalach to compose a concert piece for violin and orchestra with the working title ?Canada-Rondo?. The whimsical contest was abandoned, but Fi?er did not forget the theme and he later created variations on it for his new composition for the Talich Quartet. The Variations on an Unknown Theme have now been published for the first time ever. This edition is based on the autograph of the score which is housed in the Czech Museum of Music in Prague.

Par WIBERNY HEINER. Heiner Wiberny has written this joyful composition for his wife Ulla, who has a special affinity for African Music. The listener recognizes immediately the sound and flavor of 'African Highlife” and 'Latin Funk”. The composition consists of the following parts: chorale-intro, prelude, ABA-theme, transition, violin- and violasolos with 'break'-intros, prelude, AB-theme, Coda. The soloists may play either the written transcriptions or their own improvised solos, whereby the corresponding ensemble sections can be repeated. The phrase markings offer help in the correct stylistic interpretation of the piece, but they can also be changed according to the individual preferences. 'Klaus the fiddler” (Klaus der Geiger) gave the world premier of this work with the String Quartet of the Cologne Kunst-Salon Orchestra (Streichquartett des Kölner Kunstsalonorchesters). Klaus and the string quartet deserve my special thanks./ Répertoire / Quatuor à Cordes

Dvorák n'avait que vingt ans quand il écrivit son Quatuor à cordes n o 1 en la majeur, op. 2 (1862). Le travail est considéré comme le deuxième compositeur travail le plus important, après le Quintette à cordes en la mineur op. 1.Dvorák ne sont pas retournés au travail sur op. 2 jusqu'à 1887, quand il a été la révision de ses premières oeuvres. Il a supprimé les sections de ce quatuor substantielle n'épargnant que le Scherzo, les autres mouvements, où tous coupés par près d'un tiers. Le travail a finalement été créée par des musiciens d'orchestre du Théâtre national, mais une édition imprimée n'a pas été publié avant le milieu du 20e siècle.Cette nouvelle édition Bärenreiter présente le texte musical principal de l'édition complète de 1989, qui donne à l'oeuvre dans sa forme définitive, après la révision de Dvorák. L'édition est basée sur le manuscrit autographe et sur les pièces manuscrites.- Avec la nouvelle préface (Cz / Eng / Ger), qui sont basées sur les recherches les plus récentes / 3 Violons, Alto Et Violoncelle