Signum Quartet - Dark Flaring: Works For String Quartet [CD]

Signum Quartet - "A Dark Flaring: Works for String Quartet" 'A Dark Flaring' marks the Signum Quartet's return to ECM's New Series after debuting for the label on Erkki-Sven Tüür's chamber music recording Lost Prayers (2020). Here, the quartet has put together a unique program dedicated to six South African composers whose works for string quartet are united by the way they blend respect for the past with an instinct for the future. All six composers reflect their country's complex and troubled history through music which is strikingly original. Gramophone magazine has described the quartet's sound as "passionate, often brilliant, but also clear and lean" and their sensitive approach to these dynamically contrasting works is further evidence of the quartet's accomplished craft. Large idiomatic bridges connect seemingly disparate musical heritages, from the South African Xhosa and Zulu traditions to 20th century minimalism and reaching all the way back to the Renaissance.