String Quartets

Peter Garland- composer

Gordon Mackay and Hilary Sturt- violins

Bridget Carey- viola

Anton Lukoszevieze- cello

“String Quartet 1”: Kyle Gann is right when he says Garland’s music never quite resolves. But then if you hear how elegant and dignified it is, you’d see why it has to hang in the air. Plainly American yet shot through with Far Eastern stateliness and a meditative character. This description brings Lou Harrison to mind, but Garland is happily independent. The piece is beautifully stoical.

The “String Quartet 2” is a modernist lullaby, yearning for something but never grasping it. It would perfectly accompany staring out the window at rain. It’s not humdrum, however, and it’s clearly endearing.

Garland is someone worth paying attention to. This cd has made me emotionally richer.

Cold Blue

CB 0031

www.coldbluemusic.com

Richard Grooms