Arditti Quartet & Jennifer Walshe

Arditti Quartet is a unique case in contemporary music scene. Founded in 1974, it has since performed hundreds of works for string quartet and chamber music. Their performances are points of reference in terms of their musicality and technical virtuosity. An important element of their approach is their close collaboration with the works’ composers, whenever this is possible.

“The Tree of Strings” (2007) is the second string quartet by Harrison Birtwistle (b. 1934). Episodes of absolute stasis alternate with moments of intense or extended rhythmic action in one of the most expressive recent works by Birtwistle. Towards the end of the work, the four performers gradually move away from the stage, leaving alone the cellist to complete the work, giving to the music a sense of emptiness.

When this text was being written, little was known about the most recent string quartet of Jennifer Walshe (b. 1974). A co-production of the Internationale Ferienkurse für Neue Musik 2016, the Onassis Stegi, SNYK (Danish center for contemporary, experimental music and sound art), November Music, and Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, it received its world premiere on 2 August 2016 in Darmstadt. It could be considered as a quintet, since the composer herself also participates in the performance at the vocal parts. As it is often the case with Walshe’s works, “EVERYTHING IS IMPORTANT” also includes electronics and video playback. The work explores, among others, the notions of nature in contemporary technological era.