The Richard Thomas Foundation with Nimbus Alliance released Joseph Phibbs String Quartets album on 1 November 2024 (NI 6452), with the Piatti Quartet.
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Joseph Phibbs
“Having studied the cello as a child, I have always felt a special affinity with string music. My introduction at the age of 14 to the music of Britten was through his first string quartet, the opening of which still fills me with awe, and his works - especially those for strings - have remained a lifelong inspiration. I am delighted therefore that this recording of my String Quartets Nos. 2-4 has been released, made possible by the generous support of the Richard Thomas Foundation. I have been fortunate to work closely with the Piatti Quartet over a number of years. It was they who commissioned my String Quartet No. 1 (2014), a piece they have performed extensively and recorded (Champs Hill Records 2018). Their enthusiasm encouraged me to continue exploring the genre, and - a decade later – it has been both a privilege and a huge pleasure to have another opportunity to write for them (String Quartet No.4).
Much of my music is inspired by light and landscapes (as well as cityscapes): these two elements drawn from places in the past that have been especially important to me, including Ithaca (NY) and New York City. When considering which images would best sum up the overall feel of the album, light-both natural and artificial - as seen within a landscape, seemed the most fitting choice. The vibrant colours of Casting Nets (2024) by my niece, the artist Rose Jones (reproduced on the rear inside cover of this booklet) provides a perfect contrast to the reflective Whistler image on the front cover, both works presenting light and water in completely different ways.” © Joseph Phibbs
Much of my music is inspired by light and landscapes (as well as cityscapes): these two elements drawn from places in the past that have been especially important to me, including Ithaca (NY) and New York City. When considering which images would best sum up the overall feel of the album, light-both natural and artificial - as seen within a landscape, seemed the most fitting choice. The vibrant colours of Casting Nets (2024) by my niece, the artist Rose Jones (reproduced on the rear inside cover of this booklet) provides a perfect contrast to the reflective Whistler image on the front cover, both works presenting light and water in completely different ways.” © Joseph Phibbs
'The Fourth Quartet ... mixes turbulent restlessness with a more predominant songful element. The composer’s touchstone here, a querulous beauty, has a remote enchantment about it. A dance of the heavenly spirits casts a sideways glance at Hovhaness in his more recessed moments.' Rob Barnett, MusicWeb International, 14 October 2024
'Pierre Boulez thought the string quartet was dead. I beg to differ'.
Joseph Phibbs Profile: Gramophone Magazine, 1 November 2024
Joseph Phibbs Profile: Gramophone Magazine, 1 November 2024
‘One of the most rewarding musical relationships’ - Joseph Phibbs’s string quartets recorded by the Piatti Quartet - Interview: The Strad, 1 November 2024
'[The Piatti Quartet] master these challenges with technical finesse and deepening verve in their performance..intensively explore and present the life-affirming and sometimes downright lively movements.. lyrical warmth and rich playing.'
Pizzicato, 5 November 2024
Pizzicato, 5 November 2024
'Phibbs has an individual voice: compelling, expressive... Listening carefully to these performances, registering time and again, one realises not only just how powerful the music is, but also the superb nature of the performances. All four instrumentalists: Michael Trainor, Emily Holland, violins, Miguel Sabrinho, viola, Jessie Ann Richardson, cello - is expert in their own right, but they combine to make a whole greater than the sum of their four parts - surely the very definition of hot string quartet playing.' Colin Clarke, Classical Explorer, 8 November 2024
'Phibbs is a resourceful while often imaginative writer for string quartet, his music demonstrably in the lineage of 20th-century totems such as Bartók or Shostakovich (with a nod toward Britten), without being beholden to these or any other precedents. It helps when the Piatti Quartet ... sounds so well attuned to his idiom and has evidently prepared each one of these works with unfailing commitment.' Arcana, 28 November 2024
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'I really enjoyed these quartets and look forward to hearing more of Phibbs’s music... The Piatti Quartet repay the composer’s confidence in them with strong and committed performances, and the recording is excellent. Those who care for string quartets should explore these works.' Stephen Barber, MusicWeb International, 17 December 2024
'English whimsy unafraid of its passionate emotional core'.
Steph Power, BBC Music Magazine, 20 December 2024
Steph Power, BBC Music Magazine, 20 December 2024
'Presenting light and water',Maureen Buja, Interlude, January 2025
The Piatti Quartet are Michael Trainor (violin), Emily Holland (violin), Miguel Sobrinho (viola) and Jessie Ann Richardson (cello). Resident Quartet at Kings Place, London, the distinguished quartet are widely renowned for their ‘profound musicmaking’ (The Strad) and their ‘lyrical warmth’ (BBC Music Magazine). Following their prizewinning performances at the 2015 Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition, they have performed all over the world and made international broadcasts from many countries. Contemporary music has been ever present in their repertoire and major commissions and dedications have stemmed from Mark-Anthony Turnage, Emily Howard, Charlotte Harding, and Joseph Phibbs whilst they have premiered a huge number of new works over the years.
“From that first moment we played Joe’s music we felt this was a voice that spoke to us, music that we instantly understood and connected with. He is the contemporary composer we have performed most often and audiences have always been enthralled by his music.”
The Piatti Quartet
“From that first moment we played Joe’s music we felt this was a voice that spoke to us, music that we instantly understood and connected with. He is the contemporary composer we have performed most often and audiences have always been enthralled by his music.”
The Piatti Quartet
Electronic press kit and listening link available for reviewers and radio producers from Ulysses Arts.
Album supported by The RIchard Thomas Foundation.
Album supported by The RIchard Thomas Foundation.
