Michael Nyman String Quartets 4 & 5: Recording by The Smith Quartet.
- Submitting institution
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Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance
- Unit of assessment
- 33 - Music, Drama, Dance, Performing Arts, Film and Screen Studies
- Output identifier
- Pendlebury
- Type
- Q - Digital or visual media
- Publisher
- Michael Nyman Records MNRCD141
- Month
- October
- Year
- 2018
- URL
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- Supplementary information
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- Request cross-referral to
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- Output has been delayed by COVID-19
- No
- COVID-19 affected output statement
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- Forensic science
- No
- Criminology
- No
- Interdisciplinary
- No
- Number of additional authors
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- Research group(s)
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- Proposed double-weighted
- No
- Reserve for an output with double weighting
- No
- Additional information
- Since the recording of Michael Nyman’s String Quartets 1, 2 and 3 by the Balanescu Quartet in 1991 there has been no commercial recording of the subsequent quartets 4 and 5, which were written for The Smith Quartet. We were invited by Nyman to record both works in 2017.
The 4th Quartet is a substantial virtuosic 12 movement tour de force, based on pre-existing material from his earlier work for solo violin. The work requires a technical approach due to the sudden metre changes and complex rhythmic structures, such as in the 9th movement which juxtaposes the inner parts 11s, 13s and 14s against 4, together with the lyrical melodic lines of the first violin. Intonation is always complicated in the playing of Nyman and much of the music requires difficult double stopping, the inner parts often jumping around in octaves, but the result is that of a rich inner timbre which at times becomes almost orchestral in density.
After presenting us with the original score Nyman suggested we work on the draft with him so he could make potential adjustments before delivering the finished article to his publisher. Together we made several adjustments to the original score, adding material, changing notes, and in a few places adding new textures, like the sul pont at the end of the 1st movement. Nyman was also careful to capture the character of certain movements such as the quasi spiritual feel of the 3rd, played at our suggestion, with little to no vibrato, the fiery tango nature of the 4th and the driving moto perpetuo of the 5th. The original tempo mark of 120 eventually creeping up take by take to 150. The sharing and passing around of the ferocious double notes was again at our suggestion to maintain stamina throughout this movement.
- Author contribution statement
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- Non-English
- No
- English abstract
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