Search - Roger Reynolds, Arditti String Quartet :: Coconino...A Shattered Landscape

From Bartok to Carter to Reynolds

R. Hutchinson | a world ruled by fossil fuels and fossil minds | 08/26/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Roger Reynolds has composed, I believe, the most innovative and compelling cycle of string quartets since Elliot Carter. It is simply criminal that Reynolds is not more widely known, but fortunately the Arditti Quartet is not in the dark, and delivers stunning performances! The first disc contains "Coconino" and "Visions." "Coconino" is fiendishly complex, the composition structured with the use of algorithms, a la Xenakis. The highlight, though, is "Ariadne's Thread," on the second disc, which adds a computer synthesizer to the quartet for one of the most compelling electro-acoustic pieces I've heard. Reynolds uses his research at San Diego and at IRCAM in Paris to surpass Boulez, and at least equal the '80s works of Nono. This masterwork is preceded by "Kokoro" for solo violin, and followed by "Focus a Beam..." for solo cello. Roger Reynolds is a contemporary master of music, and this collection of chamber music is one of his finest accomplishments."