This was a fun quartet to play through - the harmonies are bold without being eye-wateringly astringent, and there is some really enjoyable restating of the original theme, set against differing backdrops of pizzicato, fingernail percussion, intense vibrato, and moving from two sharps to four, via other keys on the way. The writing is confident and commanding. And how does it sound? I think the best way to describe the piece is to use its own sequence of performance indications - they tell the story perfectly - with a bit of angst, with intensity, relaxed, sneaky, playful, with sweet melancholy, intensifying, more angst, lightening up, easy going and lightly. With a bold motif appearing in different forms, sometimes fierce, sometimes dreamy, sometimes with a hint of a tango bass-line, this piece boasts some varied writing. If you like something modern, I'd recommend it.
Derek Hasted (Classical Guitar Magazine)
