Brett Dean

Doric String Quartet, Brett Dean, Allison Bell – Dean: Epitaphs & String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2 (2015)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:01:47 minutes | 1001 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Digital Booklet, Front Cover | © Chandos

Australian composer Brett Dean’s long professional life as a violist (he served 14 years in the Berlin Philharmonic) surely explains the highly refined mastery with which he writes for strings, even when employing extended techniques. The first movement of his String Quartet No. 1, Eclipse, begins with slow moving patterns that often use harmonics. Tremolos increasingly enter the landscape and reach a climax before launching into a jagged pizzicato episode. The second movement is vigorous and energetic, with hints of a jig and lots of microtonal interaction before concluding quietly. The almost panoramic stillness of the first movement permeates the third.
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