In the current climate, it is a common misconception that only one America exists: the one that champions the singular ideology of MAGA and imposes drastic budget cuts on cultural institutions and universities. Given this rather disheartening context, we found it beneficial to explore the finest examples of musical creation from across the Atlantic.
First, we will examine a group of composers who embody the revival of contemporary music in the United States, particularly in the field of string quartets. We will then discuss the emergence of a new generation of quartets (Poiesis, Attacca, Jack, Aizuri, etc.) that is keeping this genre alive and thriving.
In a previous article, we had already mentioned the American composer Caroline Shaw, whose string quartet works have been recorded by the brilliant Attacca Quartet (on two CDs: *Evergreen* and *Orange*). We won’t dwell further on this musician, whose style is so unique and captivating that her works are now part of the repertoire of most string quartets*.
Jessie Montgomery
Pour aborder ce panorama – certes non exhaustif –, évoquons tout d’abord la compositrice noire américaine Jessie Montgomery (°1981), dont nous avons déjà eu le plaisir d’écouter la pièce Strum, jouée par le quatuor Varèse lors de la 23e édition du festival. Ses œuvres ont été décrites comme « profondes, turbulentes, follement colorées et explosant de vie » (The Washington Post). Diplômée de la Juilliard School et de l’Université de New-York, élue « Femme classique de l’année » par Performance Today, elle est actuellement doctorante en composition à l’Université de Princeton et compositrice en résidence au Curtis Institute of Music et à l’orchestre de Chicago… ce n’est pas peu dire !
Her music expresses the human experience in the broadest sense, but more specifically that of the African American diaspora and the radical New York scene of the 1980s and 1990s, from which she emerged.
© Jiyang Chen
Montgomery is a founding member of a composers’ collective dedicated to showcasing and supporting the works of Black composers through concert programming, research, and mentorship. She is thus politically engaged, a commitment reflected in her numerous solo, chamber, vocal, and orchestral works (including an opera). She is well-versed in the dynamics of the string quartet, having served as a violinist with the PUBLIQuartet and the Catalyst Quartet. Her notable works include Poupées Vaudou (2008), Code Source and Separation ( 2013), Bannière for solo string quartet and string orchestra (2014), and Strum, arguably the most frequently performed of all her string quartet pieces (see below).
Paul Wiancko
As a cellist with the Kronos Quartet, Paul Wiancko is now a widely recognized composer and performer in the United States. He performs on the world’s most prestigious stages, including Carnegie Hall, the Barbican, and the Sydney Opera House. His collaboration with Kronos began in 2018, when he was invited to compose the piece 50 For the Future: The Kronos Learning Repertoire.
Wiancko’s music has been described as “dazzling, captivating, joyful, disconcerting, and delicate.” The New York Times even wrote of him: “ If Haydn were alive to write a string quartet today, it might sound like Paul Wiancko’s LIFT, a work brimming with understanding and affection for the string quartet tradition.” This piece (which you can listen to below) is also featured on the Aizuri Quartet’s album Blueprinting , a Grammy-nominated recording… which is unfortunately out of print.
© Peter Frank Edwards
Wiancko has composed works for prestigious string quartets, including the St. Lawrence String Quartet, the Kronos Quartet, the Parker Quartet, and the Attacca Quartet, such as *Ode on a Brocken Loom*, *Lift*, *When the Night*, *Strange Beloved Land*, *Benkel’s Standing Death*, *Purple Antelope Space Squeeze*, and *Climb*. He is deeply involved in educational networks, notably at the Banff Centre in the Canadian Rockies, the Green Lake Chamber Music Institute, and the San Francisco Conservatory. He is currently the director of chamber music at the renowned Spoleto Festival.
Stay tuned for the rest of this overview!
* Please note that the TANA and AÏDA Quartets will perform works by Caroline Shaw at the 25th Les Voix intimes Festival (program to be announced shortly).