Markus Reuter: String Quartet No.1 ‘Heartland’

Description

MusicWeb International | Dominy Clements – May 2019
“The Matangi Quartet plays superbly under the spotlight of a remarkably detailed and grippingly atmospheric recording. Markus Reuter’s String Quartet No. 1 ‘Heartland’ deserves to be heard, and with this quality release at the very least you know you’ll be getting a demonstration quality recording and an object to treasure, so good are the production standards.”

textura | Ron Schepper – May 2019
“The contention that Markus Reuter has developed a distinct personal language and a compositional system that yields astoundingly original results is certainly borne out by Reuter’s arresting composition and the Matangi Quartet’s exemplary realization of it.”

Planet Hugill | Robert Hugill – May 2019
“Reuter’s quartet is certainly a work which deserves exposure, and I am intrigued as to what Reuter will do next.”

OpusKlassiek | Aart van der Wal – May 2019
“Markus Reuter is perfectly at home in the particularly difficult field of composing for string quartet, […] and the Dutch Matangi Quartet has this music in its DNA. With a flawless technique and formidable insight, it unfolds a grand panorama ‘that is already there but only needs to be unlocked.'”

Pizzicato | Uwe Krusch – April 2019
“Known from the rock and pop world, composer Markus Reuter has now composed his first string quartet, named Heartland. His first step in this most classical genre of the classical music turns out to be very classical and at the same time a new approach in terms of structuring such a piece. The Matangi Quartet’s performance is outstanding.”

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Markus Reuter‘s String Quartet No.1 ‘Heartland’ is now available as a digital download or luxurious CD-Edition inside an ECM-style slipcase with an expansive booklet featuring expansive liner notes, exclusive photography and contributions by Tony Levin and Frank Schätzing.

After years of preparation and planning, Solaire Records are proud and excited to present ‘Heartland’, Markus Reuter’s first string quartet. The album sees Markus further explore his algorithmically-supported composing technique to create a sonic language that will surprise even long-standing supporters.

After spending months listening to most of music history’s major string quartets, Markus ultimately decided to break with tradition and approach things from an entirely unique angle. Working closely with Oval‘s Markus Popp, the tracks were built using a pool of self-referential musical fractals. By combining them into deeply layered structures, every single bar of music is related to what preceeds and follows it, even though there is not a single mechanical repetition in these pieces.

Performed by the prestigious Matangi Quartet and recorded by award-winning producer Dirk Fischer, Heartland is a journey to the borders of melody and harmony: Driving, sensual, serene and moving.