Reviews Light Blue Edenwood

Reviews Light Blue Edenwood Duo

The first reviews of Light Blue, the new album of Edenwood Duo appeared in the press!

Larsen Magazine (Belgium, in French)

“… Light Blue, c’est avant tout un heureux melting pot d’influences en tout genre – couleurs jazzy et afro-asiatiques avec Nathan Kolosko, émotions cinématographiques avec Giorgio Mirto, tendance rock matinée de Debussy et de Ravel avec Mathias Duplessy…”

Pizzicato (Luxembourg, in German)

“… Dieser Eindruck wird sicherlich durch die vitale, letzten Endes aber auch sehr poetische Interpretation des Edenwood Duos  verstärkt…”

Cultuurpakt (Belgium, in Dutch)

“… Dit album bewijst het communicatieve aan muziek, de diepere kracht die klank geeft aan vriendschap en herinneringen. Zonder grenzen op papier gezet en uitgevoerd door het Edenwood Duo. Een haast lichtgevende en zintuigprikkelende schijf in uw platenkast, Belgisch bovendien.”

Episodics – Livestream Edenwood

Episodics Livestream Edenwood

Tune in on the YouTube channel of Edenwood Duo, Thursday 8th April at 8:30 pm (CET+2) for the Livestream of Episodics, a concert with Catherine Struys & Wouter Vercruysse.

Edenwood Duo will perform the world creation of Episodics written by the American composer Nathan Kolosko and the Sonata for cello & guitar “Rêves” by French composer Mathias Duplessy.

Discover the musical universes of Kolosko & Duplessy with these playlists on Spotify and Deezer:
BUY HERE YOUR COPY OF EDENWOOD DUO’S ANOTHER PLACE

 

With the generous support of the Government of Flanders

Serenade – Edenwood Duo

Serenade - Edenwood Duo

Tune in tonight at 8:30 pm UTC +1 on facebook or YouTube for a concert serenade with Edenwood Duo.

Get a glance of Edenwood’s new repertoire with music by Asgeir Aarøen & Giorgio Mirto. Also on the program, two world premieres: the Serenade of Nicolas Meunier and Canticum Maris of Armand Coeck. Furthermore, you can hear for the first time the cello & guitar version of Danza Nobile of Wilfried Westerlinck.

Stay safe and feel welcome to join later today!

Serenade – Edenwood Duo (duration ca. 25′)

Strings of Silence (2012) – Asgeir Aarøen (NO)
Letters on the table (2017) – Giorgio Mirto (IT)
Danza Nobile (2019) – Wilfried Westerlinck (BE)
Sérénade (2020 – world premiere) – Nicolas Meunier (BE)
Canticum Maris (2019 – world premiere) – Armand Coeck (BE)

Lars Konings – movie
Henk Waegebaert – sound
With the generous support of the Government of Flanders

buy here your copy of Edenwood Duo’s Another Place

Concert Streaming Concertgebouw Bruges

concert-streaming-concertgebouw-bruges

Tune in this evening on facebook to see the St. George Quintet performing the “Bullet” by Onslow in the chamber music hall of Concertgebouw Bruges.

The Bullet

George Onslow

The St. George Quintet is named after the composer George Onslow, the godfather of the string quintet. Onslow applies his mastery to one of the most remarkable string quintets ever written – a description of an accident that nearly took his life.

Onslow was born in France in 1784 to a father banished from England because of a homosexual scandal. Onslow spent much of his youth in London receiving the education of a gentleman, and became a capable cellist. After two years of travel in Germany and Austria he began composing, specialising in string quintets for two violins, viola, and two cellos.

On the night of one of Onslow’s works was to be premiered the second cellist didn’t show up. The legendary bassist Domenico Dragonetti happened to be in the audience that night and he sightread the 2nd cello part on double bass. Onslow was so taken with the sound of the bassist that he went back and rescored all his quintets to include the bass.

The quintet that most fascinated his contemporaries describes an accident that nearly ended Onslow’s composing and his life.

In 1829 Onslow and some companions were hunting a long-elusive wild boar, but – ever the composer – Onslow brought along a book of music paper just in case inspiration came during the hunt.  Book in hand, he took up an assigned position and waited for his fellow hunters to drive the boar his way. After a while, the quiet woods roused Onslow’s musical imagination and, forgetting his friends, he wandered deeper into the woods, found a stump, and sat down to work on his latest quintet.

A shot rang out and Onslow fell bleeding to the ground.

A bullet had cut through his ear and lodged in his neck. His recovery was slow, painful, and partial. He roused himself by continuing his work on the quintet that had distracted him in the woods, only now it became a recollection of the accident. To the second movement minuet he gave the title “Suffering, Fever, and Delirium.” The next movement he called “Convalescence.” And the finale became known as “Recovery.”

The bullet in his neck was never removed and he eventually went deaf in the affected ear, but despite the high cost of his “Bullet Quintet”, Georges Onslow said often that he would not have wanted to miss the opportunity to write it. The composer dedicated this string quintet to the Polish/French cellist Louis Norblin, teacher at the Paris conservatory. Among Norblin’s students were Jacques Offenbach and Auguste Franchomme.

The event is made possible with the financial support of the Flemish Government and logistic support by Concertgebouw Bruges & Beeldenstorm Anderlecht.

Soundtrack Album Release: Invisible

The soundtrack album of Invisible – Belgian television serie  – composed by Eloi Ragot got released this week on digital platforms. The St. George Quintet had the pleasure to record some parts of the score.

Click here to chose your digital platform to listen to the soundtrack of Invisible: https://awal.ffm.to/invisiblealbum

The series is now being broadcasted in Belgium on Sunday evenings on RTBF: https://www.rtbf.be/emission/invisible

The Strad recommends Bohemia Express

The Strad recommends Bohemia Express

The Strad recommends St. George Quintet’s CD Bohemia Express in its 130th anniversary edition!

Some quotes:

The actual album is very fine indeed, presenting readings that shine with understanding and appreciation of the music’s folk influences, while not for a second losing sight of the quintet’s personal identity as polished classical musicians. Melodies sing with lyrical naturalness. Blending is superb – the overall balance of tones and parts, but also the way one phrase grows into the next, and one movement drops into the following one. Always they’re moving as one. Perhaps the highlight is the Suite for Strings, where the impression of cohesion and developing arch of thought runs effortlessly from first movement to fifth. Its Adagio is exquisite.

Read the full review in the May 2020 issue, or click here to be redirected to the review on the website of the Strad. In each issue of the Strad only three recordings are garnered with the illustrious sobriquet ‘The Strad Recommends’!

GET HERE YOUR COPY OF THE CD BOHEMIA EXPRESS BY THE ST. GEORGE QUINTET.