The dynamic Carducci String Quartet presents an exceptional performance of four of the string quartets of Philip Glass, including the rarely recorded String Quartet No. 1.

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“…playing of constant variety, a masterclass in unanimity of musical purpose.” —The Strad

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“…Another home run for Naxos”

“…Another home run for Naxos”

“…Another home run for Naxos”

–Victor Carr, ClassicsToday.com

This documentary captures the overflowing energy and activity of one of today’s greatest composers.

DVD9DS10 • 899132000107 Sounds of America Reviews deserves the widest circulation and offers a fine vehicle for baritones as well. Don’t be surprised if Letters from Lincoln quickly works its way into standard repertoire on Fourth of July concert programmes. Lawrence A Johnson

‘The Miró Quartet Live!’ K Puts Credo Dvořák String Quartet No 12, ‘American’, B179 Miró Quartet (Daniel Ching, Sandy Yamamoto vns John Largess va Joshua Gindele vc) Longhorn Music M LHM2010001 (47’ • DDD) The Mirós are vibrant in two visions of America for string quartet

The works paired on the Miró Quartet’s new live recording are sonic travelogues by composers with America on their minds. Dvo∑ák composed his Quartet in F major, Op 96, while in residence in Spillville, Iowa, in 1893, and gave the piece the apt subtitle “American”. Kevin Puts’s haunting Credo evokes images that inspired the American composer.

Thematic ties aside, both scores share an intense passion for the material at hand. Dvo∑ák’s quartet, full of folk references, needs treatment that acknowledges the nostalgic gestures without wallowing in sentimentality. The Miró players give the work a reading of exceptional vibrancy, warmth and nuance.

Equally affecting is Credo, whose five connected movements salute people and locations that have made indelible impressions on Puts. The opening movement pays tribute to a violin maker in Katonah, NY, from whose studio is conjured ethereal and fervent musings complete with excerpts from famous violin pieces.

As the music paints pictures of bridges in Pittsburgh, Puts builds motoric, overlapping and rhythmic statements suggesting the “Infrastructure” of the second movement’s title. The propulsive activity, coloured by string harmonics, is interrupted by an intermezzo, “Learning to Dance”, which sings a lovely song of mother and daughter in tender motion.

The message of peace that lies at the heart of the score is embodied in the finale, “Credo”, an elegy of sublime beauty not far from the traditions of Beethoven and Mahler. A more committed or detailed performance than the captivating one the Miró give would be hard to imagine. Donald Rosenberg www.gramophone.co.uk

Philip Glass sketching at his piano

The Philip Glass Ensemble play with unique authority z 􏰁inimalMEMOIRS

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‘Philip Glass Ensemble: A Retrospective’ Dance 9. Music in Twelve Parts – Part 1; Part 2. Einstein on the Beach – Building. Facades. The Grid. The Photographer – Act 2. Powaqatsi: Mosque/Temple. Low Symphony – Movement III. Akhnaten – Funeral. EOB – Spaceship Philip Glass Ensemble Orange Mountain Music M b OMM0067 (107’ • DDD)

Few recordings capture the Philip Glass Ensemble’s kinetic energy and palpable chamber-like interaction to the degree of this live

March 2004 performance in Monterrey, Mexico. Granted, the eerily accurate MIDI keyboard replications of orchestral sonorities in works like the Funeral from the opera Akhnaten and the Low Symphony’s

Third Movement are akin to the perfection of waxed fruit. Yet the music originally scored for Glass’s unique keyboard/ reed-dominated band sounds more effortless and expressive than in the ensemble’s earlier recordings. Listen to the original late-1970s recording of Einstein on the Beach and you’ll notice the edginess and almost dogged accuracy of “Building”. Nearly thirty years later, the asymmetric rhythms are far more internalised and undulating. The same holds true for Parts 1 and 2 of Music in Twelve Parts, abetted by soprano (and terrific composer in her own right!) Lisa Bielawa’s peculiar yet absolutely appropriate “sophisticated choirboy” vocal timbre. Perhaps the live engineering’s blended ambience fortifies my impression, although my words may not sway Glassheads who swear by the early recordings’ funky, close-up, “in-your-ear” sonics. If you’re relatively unfamiliar with Glass, this release is a good place to get your bearings. Jed Distler

GRAMOPHONE AUGUST 2010 XI