Simon Holt (1958-)
Quatuor à cordes n° 3

Donnacha Dennehy (1970-)
The weather of it, pour quatuor à cordes

Anthony Gilbert (1934-)
Haven of Mysteries

Guy Johnston, violoncelle
Jack Quartet

Christopher Otto, violon
Ari Streisfeld, violon
John Pickford Richards, alto
Kevin McFarland, violoncelle

Quatuor Doric

Alex Redington, violon
Jonathan Stone, violon
Hélène Clément, alto
John Myerscough, violoncelle

Quatuor Carducci

Matthew Denton, violon
Michelle Fleming, violon
Eoin Schmidt-Martin, alto
Emma Denton, violoncelle

John Gilhooly OBE - Wigmore Hall Director writes .. ' Renewing the chamber music repertoire is central to the co-commissioning partnership between Wigmore Hall, The Radcliffe Trust and NMC Recordings. We are delighted to support Simon Holt’s 3rd Quartet with the JACK Quartet , Donnacha Dennehy’s The weather of it with the Doric String Quartet and Anthony Gilbert’s Haven of Mysteries with the Carducci String Quartet and Guy Johnston . We are very pleased to support some of the finest musicians of their generation, achieving the highest standards of their interpretations in modern compositions. I have no doubt that this recordin g will be praised for its vitality, freshness and the expressive power of new music. Wigmore Hall’s wholehearted commitment to continue building the chamber music repertoire is central to this project, and we look forward to further recordings yet to be released in this series. Simon Holt, Donnacha Dennehy and Anthony Gilbert, the composers featured on this inaugural ‘Bracing Change’ album of new string commissions, are as contrasting in their responses to it as they are individual in character across their musical output. Toget her, their new works – two quartets and a quintet – are a reminder that the medium has thrived for some 250 years not merely by adapting t o change, but by inspiring all sorts of new music at its pioneering edge.