Upcoming 2023: folklore
Time and time again, we have found that at the heart of the most endearing (and enduring) pieces of classical music there lies tribute to its roots, folk music. It’s no coincidence that Dvorak, Brahms, Beethoven are all such household names; their music is full of the melodies, dances, harmonies, and rhythms of folk styles that were dear to them. Feeling a sense of community, of belonging, is a basic human need that we cannot resist no matter how elevated our intellect evolves to be, and music that reminds us of that will always be cherished.
FOLKLORE is, in short, a classical hygge album. It is full of sincere and compelling music; music that tells stories and paints pictures of homelands far and wide, of the customs and histories inherited by each new generation. Alongside Dvorak, it features music by modern, less well known, or demographically underrepresented composers whose compositions nevertheless bear a quality of relatability. This small but carefully curated selection of pieces is a testament to the value of folk-infused classical music for string quartet.
John Elmquist - Sacred Traces
A fusion of sacred harp singing, jazz, and exalted joy
Komitas arr. Aslamazyan - 5 Armenian Folk Songs
Gems of Armenian folklore
Rhiannon Giddens - At The Purchaser’s Option
A haunting reminder of the cruel reality of slavery in America
Steven Snowden - Hidden Mothers
Tribute to the complexity of motherhood across eras and cultures
Bongani Ndodana-Breen - Apologia at Umzimvubu
Testimony from the Xhosa tribe of South Africa
Antonín Dvořák - String Quartet No. 10 “Slavonic”
A love song from a composer to his homeland
Roan Mountain Suite
Label: DoubleTime Music
The Kontras Quartet team up again with the Kruger Brothers for a very special original work, commissioned to honor the region, history and legacy of Tennessee’s Roan Mountain.
The Roan Mountain Suite honors the 50th anniversary of the inaugural meeting to conserve the Roan, an effort initiated by the late husband of patron Judy Murray of Kingsport, TN. Dedicated to the memory of Stanley A. Murray, 1923-1990, The Roan Mountain Suite is a musical experience honoring the treasured landscape of the region.
Stan Murray was a 14-year chairman of the Appalachian Trail Conference, a visionary and champion of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail and Highlands of Roan, and Founder of the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy. The Roan Mountain Suite is a vibrant new example of the Jens Kruger's brilliant ability to enlist the illustrative power of music to tell a story in eloquent detail.
The recording took place in the DoubleTime Music studio in North Carolina on the 2nd and 3rd of January 2017. All tracks were recorded in one go, sitting in a circle just as we might play it on a mountain top.
Click here to watch Jens Kruger describe the project in his own words.
Origins
Available from iTunes, Amazon & MSR:
Label: MSR Classics - Catalog No. MS1537
Works by Hajime Koumatsu, Igor Stravinsky, Dan Visconti, and Kevin Volans.
* World Premiere recording of Dan Visconti's Ramshackle Songs
* Included on the first-round ballot for the 2015 Grammys - Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance (Classical), Best Engineered Album (Classical), Best Contemporary Composition (Classical)
The founding members of Kontras grew up on four different continents, yet we bonded over our passion for good music. We set out as a group to present fine, diverse music from our home countries that could be appreciated in any culture, and chose repertoire with the intention that our first album would feature one piece each from Russia, South Africa, Japan and the United States. The heart of our mission has always been to celebrate that which we have in common. Our name may seem to go against this mission, given that Kontras means “contrasts” in Afrikaans, but we have found that diversity can enhance our lives and broaden our perspective in a way that is uplifting, and exciting. When we earnestly share the things about ourselves that define our personal histories (such as music from our various cultures), and respond with curiosity, a remarkable thing happens: we find ourselves learning to understand each other better. And when we understand each other, then we have more in common, and more to cherish.
Lucid Dreamer
Label: DoubleTime Music
* Included on the first-round ballot for the 2015 Grammys - Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance (Classical), Best Engineered Album (Classical), Best Contemporary Composition (Classical)
In 2013, Kontras commissioned Jens Kruger of the internationally renowned Kruger Brothers to write a brand new work for string quartet, banjo, guitar and bass. A year of intense composing resulted in an exquisite work with seven movements - a fascinating hybrid of classical and American folk - entitled Lucid Dreamer.
In the composer's words: "Lucid Dreamer is a musical interpretation of experiencing a waking state of reverie. The music is a delicate idea that gathers strength and takes flight, releasing the listener from the surly bonds of earth as it soars, dips and glides like a flock of birds. It is a journey that touches upon the dynamic created between the fragility of life and the boldness that it takes to live it...”
KQ's commission was made possible by the Chamber Music America Classical Commissioning Program, with generous funding provided by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Chamber Music America Endowment Fund.