Gemeaux Quartett - Ponnelle, P.D.: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2 / String Trio (2010)

String quartets: an unassuming and introspective form of music-making with four usually elder gentlemen exulting over the works of long forgotten composers? Definitely not the case with the Gemeaux Quartet, who have released a masterful, unbridled and tender recording of three works by Pierre-Dominique Ponnelle on the Genuin classics label. The disc features the very highest standard in quartet playing culture and sounds that can be placed somewhere in the avant-garde as well as on the steppes of Central Asia, performed with improvisational freedom and the most demanding stringency. These are world premiere recordings and a rare listening experience. Not a trace of dust can to be seen on these dazzling string quartets!