DCCCXXVII: CANAT DE CHIZY, Édith: Quartet #4 ("En noir et or")

DCCCXXVII. CANAT DE CHIZY, Édith (1950-       )

Quartet #4 ("En noir et or")
Quatuor Van Kuijk
Nicolas Van Kuijk, violin
Sylvain Favre-Bulle, violin
Emmanuel François, viola
François Robin, cello
(8:49)

Bartók introduced to the world of string quartets what was mostly unheard of, or unknown.

• Integrating the use of harmonics as a normal part of the sound texture;
• A new style of pizzicato -- pulling the string up and snapping it back down;
• Glissandi;
• Col legno;
• Sul ponticello, etc.

It is good to here composers who write in their own style, using Bartók's compositional tools.

Here, Canat de Chizy takes all of the above a step further. Col legno is used beautifully. Lots of cool glissandi. But she succeeds in creating sound clouds of delicately suspended forward motion. A very fine work.