Belinfante Quartet
Ellipse
The Dutch-based string quartet Belinfante Quartet releases its first album at 7 Mountain Records. Ellipse is about being close and about being far from each other. About a timeless, eternal travel. This speaks for the musicians (coming from different countries and backgrounds) but for the music as well. Time wise, Caroline Shaw and John Playford are almost four centuries apart, but Britten and Shaw, however, are much closer. The latter composers explore harmony, form structure and create a joyful experience for the musicians in playing the pieces. Nonetheless, one can experience the presence of the English language in both the Renaissance writings and the 20th/21st C compositions. To bridge the program even further, Arthur Klaassens arranged Playford’s dances such that there are many associations for the listener with Shaw’s music and Britten’s Three Divertimenti.
Aside from spacing, an ellipse form also has different velocities. At its corners it’s speedy, in the middle it’s lazy. The program on this scintillating debut of the Belinfante Quartet reflects this phenomenon in numerous ways: whether it’s the kinetic and virtuosic solo cadenza’s in Britten’s 3rd movement of his 2nd Quartet, the brisk dances of Playford or the lyrical and elegant 2nd movement of the Divertimenti. Profound, animated, orchestral, affectionate playing, all of this is richly represented in the performance of the Belinfante Quartet on their debut Ellipse.
Physical and digital release: 9 September 2022
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| 1. | String Quartet No.2 in C Major: I. Allegro calmo, senza rigore (B. Britten) |
| 2. | String Quartet No.2 in C Major: II. Vivace (B. Britten) |
| 3. | String Quartet No.2 in C Major: III. Chacony (B. Britten) |
| 4. | neere the Church doore: I. neere the Church doore (J. Playford/ A. Klaassens) |
| 5. | neere the Church doore: II. Newcastle (J. Playford/ A. Klaassens) |
| 6. | neere the Church doore: III. Kemp's Jig (J. Playford/ A. Klaassens) |
| 7. | neere the Church doore: IV. Mill-Field (J. Playford/ A. Klaassens) |
| 8. | neere the Church doore: V. Open the Doore to Three (J. Playford/ A. Klaassens) |
| 9. | neere the Church doore: VI. Jenny Pluck Pears (J. Playford/ A. Klaassens) |
| 10. | neere the Church doore: VII. Mundesse (J. Playford/ A. Klaassens) |
| 11. | neere the Church doore: VIII. Newcastle Remix (J. Playford/ A. Klaassens) |
| 12. | Three Divertimenti: I. March (B. Britten) |
| 13. | Three Divertimenti: II. Waltz (B. Britten) |
| 14. | Three Divertimenti: III. Burlesque (B. Britten) |
| 15. | Plan and Elevation: I. The Ellipse (C. Shaw) |
| 16. | Plan and Elevation: II. The Cutting Garden (C. Shaw) |
| 17. | Plan and Elevation: III. The Herbaceous Border (C. Shaw) |
| 18. | Plan and Elevation: IV. The Orangery (C. Shaw) |
| 19. | Plan and Elevation: V. The Beech Tree (C. Shaw) |