Coinciding with ‘50 for the Future’, the vibrant Ragazze Quartet breaks new ground with Garth Knox – including 2 World Premiere Recordings
On Open Spaces, their 5th album at NativeDSD, the Ragazze Quartet joins forces with violist and composer Garth Knox to perform two compositions for string quartet, along with numerous duets and solo pieces. His quartet Four Into Twenty was written for the Ragazze Quartet and is a reflection on the current decade of the ‘Twenties’.
Garth Knox is at the forefront of the contemporary music scene. Drawing on his vast experience as the violist of the Arditti Quartet and Ensemble Intercontemporain, as well as his close collaboration with today’s leading composers, he is a unique performer in many different styles. His own compositions broaden the horizon of all string players who play his music. He creates an imaginative world consisting of mostly cheerful sounds with a hint of Scottish and Irish folk music.
Open Spaces is exclusively available in Stereo and 5 Channel Surround Sound DSD 256, DSD 128, DSD 64 and DXD plus Stereo DSD 512 at NativeDSD. It is also available in Stereo and 5 Channel Surround Sound FLAC 24/192 and FLAC 24/96. This is a DSD Exclusive, Not Available on SACD release.
Ragazze Quartet’s earlier album Four, Four, Three – Music of Terry Riley, also available at NativeDSD in Stereo and a very immersive 5 Channel Surround Sound DSD mix, was released to critical acclaim, received Gramophone Magazine’s Editor’s Choice which stated: “This performance deals up moments of sheer magic”.
Garth Knox – Composer & Viola (Tracks 4, 12-15)
Ragazze Quartet
Rosa Arnold – Violin (Tracks 1-3, 6-9, 11)
JeanitA Vriens van Tongeren – Violin (Tracks 1-3, 5, 6-9)
Annemijn Bergkotte – Viola (Tracks 1-3, 4, 6-9)
Rebecca Wise – Cello (Tracks 1-3, 6-9, 10)
Tracklist
Please note that the below previews are loaded as 44.1 kHz / 16 bit.Total time: 00:57:46
Additional information
| Label | |
|---|---|
| SKU | 44623 |
| Qualities | DSD 512 fs, DSD 256 fs, DSD 128 fs, DSD 64 fs, DXD 24 Bit, FLAC 192 kHz, FLAC 96 kHz |
| Channels | |
| Artists | |
| Composers | |
| Genres | |
| Analog to Digital Converter | Horus, Merging Technologies at DSD 256 |
| Cables | Van den Hul – Exclusive use of Van den Hul 3T Cables by Jared Sacks |
| Mastering Engineer | Jared Sacks |
| Microphones | Brüel & Kjær 4006, Schoeps |
| Instruments | |
| Original Recording Format | |
| Producer | Jared Sacks |
| Recording Engineer | Jared Sacks |
| Recording Location | MCO Studio 2 in Hilversum, The Netherlands during February and September 2022 |
| Release Date | April 14, 2023 |
Press reviews
Positive Feedback
Yes, I admit to being a fan of contemporary modern music. I love the exploration of sounds and contrasts that many modern composers explore, and I enjoy atonal works that twist my brain around. This is my first introduction to music by Irish/Scottish violist and composer Garth Knox (b. 1956). I recognize I’m late to the game as Garth Knox, according to some reading about him, has been on the scene as a well recognized composer for many years. His first composition on this album, Satelites, in three movements, was composed in 2015, dedicated to the the Kronos Quartet, and included in the Kronos Quartet Learning Repertoire, 50 for the Future. But two compositions played here are world premiers: Four into Twenty String Quartet No. 2 (2020), dedicated to the Ragazze Quartet, and Quartet for One, for Solo Viola (2020), performed by Garth Knox with simply an amazing demonstration of technique, are world premier recordings…
The Ragazze Quartet give dazzling performances of these works. They love to push the boundaries and explore new territories in their performances, which is why I love their recordings. They also do “sly and humorous” with the best of them. And when combined with the excellence of Jared Sacks’ recording skills, the listening experience is simply phenomenal.
Most highly recommended! Be adventurous and enjoy this album.
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