Face2Face #2 Amaryllis Quartett

• Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827): String Quartet No.6 in B-Flat Major, Op. 18:
• 1 Beethoven: String Quartet No.6 in B-Flat Major, Op. 18: I. Allegro Con Brio 05:37
• 2 Beethoven: String Quartet No.6 in B-Flat Major, Op. 18: II. Adagio, Ma Non Troppo 07:32
• 3 Beethoven: String Quartet No.6 in B-Flat Major, Op. 18: III. Scherzo. Allegro — Trio 03:12
• 4 Beethoven: String Quartet No.6 in B-Flat Major, Op. 18: IV. La Malinconia. Adagio Allegretto Quasi Allegro 07:44
• Rudolf Kelterborn (1931 - 2021): String Quartet No. 6 (2001):
• 5 Kelterborn: String Quartet No. 6 (2001): I. 04:29
• 6 Kelterborn: String Quartet No. 6 (2001): II. 04:59
• 7 Kelterborn: String Quartet No. 6 (2001): III. 03:53
• 8 Kelterborn: String Quartet No. 6 (2001): IV. 03:57
• Ludwig van Beethoven: String Quartet No. 10 in E-Flat Major, Op. 74, "Harp Quartet":
• 9 Beethoven: String Quartet No. 10 in E-Flat Major, Op. 74, "Harp Quartet": I. Poco Adagio - Allegro 09:35
• 10 Beethoven: String Quartet No. 10 in E-Flat Major, Op. 74, "Harp Quartet": II. Adagio Ma Non Troppo 09:25
• 11 Beethoven: String Quartet No. 10 in E-Flat Major, Op. 74, "Harp Quartet": III. Presto - Più Presto Quasi Prestissimo 05:07
• 12 Beethoven: String Quartet No. 10 in E-Flat Major, Op. 74, "Harp Quartet": IV. Allegretto Con Variazioni 06:58
• Total Runtime 01:12:28

Info for Face2Face #2

With the second album in the Face2Face series, the Amaryllis Quartet continues its artistic vision of understanding music history as a living dialogue between eras and styles. To mark its 20th anniversary, the ensemble once again turns its attention to Ludwig van Beethoven – this time juxtaposing his works with those of Swiss composer Rudolf Kelterborn, one of the most fascinating but little-known composers of the 20th century.

Rudolf Kelterborn (1931–2021) was a musical universalist: he worked as a composer, conductor, music teacher, musicologist and music journalist. Kelterborn's work is characterised by extraordinary openness and curiosity. He was not afraid to experiment and drew inspiration from a wide variety of styles and musical trends – from Zweite Wiener Schule to avant-garde and postmodern approaches. His compositions defy clear categorisation and are characterised by a deep desire for expression, a nuanced musical language and a passion for exploring new musical spaces. Kelterborn himself described his attitude as ‘anything goes – (almost) everything is allowed’, which is reflected in the versatility and spontaneity of his music.

The Amaryllis Quartet has a special relationship with Kelterborn: not only Switzerland as a common geographical reference point, but also a planned collaboration – which did not happen due to the composer's death. With great care and empathy, the quartet now approaches Kelterborn's 6th String Quartet (2001), which is juxtaposed with Beethoven's works on the new album. The work impresses with its energetic structure, unusual playing techniques and dramaturgically dense composition. Right from the start, with a solo cadenza by the first violin, it draws listeners into a musical maelstrom ranging from expressive outbursts to delicate, almost floating soundscapes. Kelterborn's music is never an end in itself – it is always a conversation, a search for new means of expression and a questioning of musical conventions.

Amaryllis Quartett:
Gustav Frielinghaus, violin
Lena Sandoz, violin
Mareike Hefti, viola
Yves Sandoz, cello

Amaryllis Quartet
was founded in 2000 by Gustav Frielinghaus. Its international breakthrough came with competition wins at the 2011 Premio Paolo Borciani in Reggio Emilia and, four weeks later, at the 6th International Chamber Music Competition in Melbourne. In 2012, the quartet was also awarded the Jürgen Ponto Foundation Chamber Music Prize.

In its concert programs as well as its recordings, the Amaryllis Quartet strives to combine classics of the quartet repertoire with new works in unconventional ways, thereby opening up new sonic worlds. The world premieres of works by contemporary composers such as Johannes Fischer, David Philip Hefti, and Lin Yang are just as important to the quartet as the rediscovery of now-forgotten masterpieces, such as the string quartets of the Hungarian composer Géza Frid.

In its concert programs as well as its recordings, the Amaryllis Quartet is committed to combining classics of the quartet repertoire with new works in unusual ways, thereby opening up new sonic worlds. The Amaryllis Quartet's chamber music partners have included Dimitri Ashkenazy, François Benda, Reto Bieri, Barbara Buntrock, Patrick Demenga, Nobuko Imai, Volker Jacobsen, Thorsten Johanns, Matthias Kirschnereit, Jens Peter Maintz, Gustav Rivinius, and Barbara Westphal.

Concert tours have taken the Amaryllis Quartet to venues such as the Alte Oper Frankfurt, the Tonhalle Zürich, the Vienna Musikverein, the Teatro della Pergola in Florence, the Gran Teatro La Fenice in Venice, and the Daiichi Seimei Hall in Tokyo. The quartet regularly performs at festivals including the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, the Schwetzingen SWR Festival, the Heidelberg Spring Festival, the Rheingau Music Festival, the Mosel Music Festival, and the Lucerne Festival.

In addition, the quartet launched its own concert series in the Solothurn concert hall and, under the motto "amaryllis 3×3", is creating a cycle in the Laeiszhalle Hamburg, the Lübeck Colosseum and the Bremen broadcasting hall.

This album contains no booklet.