ALL MADE OF STORIES (2024)
Label: MSR Classics - Catalog No. MS1859
“We’re all made of stories…the stories are what will go on. Not forever, perhaps, but for a time…” - Charles De Lint
Throughout our quartet travels we’ve come to cherish that it is the sharing of stories which holds the greatest power to unite us. Stories define, uplift and even haunt us; they are the very fabric of which we are composed. All Made of Stories is, in short, a musical heritage quilt. It’s full of compelling music that weaves colorful tapestries of motherlands far and wide, of customs and histories inherited by each new generation.
On the cover: we have chosen an evocative decorative textile by Argentinian artists, Chiachio & Giannone, whom we met during a concert at San Diego’s Lux Art Institute (now Institute of Contemporary Art- San Diego).
*+John Elmquist (b. 1960) - Sacred Traces (2017)
A fusion of sacred harp singing, jazz, and exalted joy
Commissioned by Kontras Quartet
Rhiannon Giddens (b. 1977) Arr. Garchick - At The Purchaser’s Option with Variations (2016)
A haunting reminder of the cruel reality of slavery in America
Composed for Fifty for the Future: The Kronos Learning Repertoire
Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) - String Quartet No. 10 “Slavonic” (1879)
A love song from a composer to his homeland
I. Allegro ma non troppo, II. Dumka (elegie); Andante con moto, III. Romanze; Andante con moto, IV. Finale; Allegro assai
*Bongani Ndodana-Breen (b. 1975)- Apologia at Umzimvubu (2006)
Version II for String Quartet
Testimony from the Xhosa tribe of South Africa
Commissioned by the SAMRO Endowment for the National Arts (South Africa)
*+Steven Snowden (b. 1981) - Hidden Mothers (2020)
Tribute to the complexity of motherhood across eras and cultures
Commissioned by Art of Elan for Kontras Quartet
I. Pam, II. Yeon-Joo, III. Lauren
Komitas (Vartapet) (1869-1935) arr. S. Aslamazyan - Five Armenian Folk Songs
Gems of Armenian folklore
I. Dear Shoger, II. Festive Song, III. Red Shawl, IV. Echmiadzin Dance, V. Song of the Little Partridge
*Premier studio recording
+Kontras Quartet commission
Recorded 14-16 June and 20 December 2022 and 19-20 January 2023 at Grace Lutheran Church of River Forest, IL. Recorded, mixed and edited by Yuri Lysoivanov. Mastered by Maggie Luthar at Dark Sky Mastering. Product management: Robert La Porta. Package design: Rumney Design UK. Cover Textile Art: Doméstico 016” and “Doméstico 017” © 2020 Chiachio & Giannone
Mid-session at Grace Lutheran Church with engineer Yuri Lysoivanov and composer John Elmquist, 2022
Jens Kruger's "Moonshine Sonata" (2023)
Label: DoubleTime Music
Kontras has paired once again with dear friends, the inimitable Kruger Brothers, to bring you Jens Kruger's “Moonshine Sonata.” This multi-movement classical chamber-folk crossover work weaves together the Kruger Brothers' unique folk stylings with the soundings of the classical string quartet with magical results.
The work was premiered in a beautiful and packed to the brim outdoor celebratory performance at 2022's Carolina in the Fall festival in Wilkesboro, North Carolina; near the Krugers' current home and amongst the Appalachian landscapes invoked by the music.
The septet also performed the work throughout the majestic mountains of Switzerland in fall 2023 in a two week tour celebrating the album's official release. Jens and Uwe Kruger originally hail from the Swiss countryside- it was a special and festive homecoming!
Click here to watch Jens Kruger introduce the premiere performance
Celebrating the release of "Moonshine Sonata" in Grindewald, Switzerland, fall 2023 (left to right: Eleanor Bartsch, Jens Kruger, Jean Hatmaker, Ben Weber, François Henkins)
Roan Mountain Suite (2017)
Label: DoubleTime Music
The Kontras Quartet team up again with the Kruger Brothers for a very special original work, commissioned to honor the region, history and legacy of Tennessee’s Roan Mountain.
The Roan Mountain Suite honors the 50th anniversary of the inaugural meeting to conserve the Roan, an effort initiated by the late husband of patron Judy Murray of Kingsport, TN. Dedicated to the memory of Stanley A. Murray, 1923-1990, The Roan Mountain Suite is a musical experience honoring the treasured landscape of the region.
Stan Murray was a 14-year chairman of the Appalachian Trail Conference, a visionary and champion of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail and Highlands of Roan, and Founder of the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy. The Roan Mountain Suite is a vibrant new example of the Jens Kruger's brilliant ability to enlist the illustrative power of music to tell a story in eloquent detail.
The recording took place in the DoubleTime Music studio in North Carolina on the 2nd and 3rd of January 2017. All tracks were recorded in one go, sitting in a circle just as we might play it on a mountain top.
Click here to watch Jens Kruger describe the project in his own words.
Origins (2015)
Label: MSR Classics - Catalog No. MS1537
Works by Hajime Koumatsu, Igor Stravinsky, Dan Visconti, and Kevin Volans.
* World Premiere recording of Dan Visconti's Ramshackle Songs
* Included on the first-round ballot for the 2015 Grammys - Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance (Classical), Best Engineered Album (Classical), Best Contemporary Composition (Classical)
The founding members of Kontras grew up on four different continents, yet we bonded over our passion for good music. We set out as a group to present fine, diverse music from our home countries that could be appreciated in any culture, and chose repertoire with the intention that our first album would feature one piece each from Russia, South Africa, Japan and the United States. The heart of our mission has always been to celebrate that which we have in common. Our name may seem to go against this mission, given that Kontras means “contrasts” in Afrikaans, but we have found that diversity can enhance our lives and broaden our perspective in a way that is uplifting, and exciting. When we earnestly share the things about ourselves that define our personal histories (such as music from our various cultures), and respond with curiosity, a remarkable thing happens: we find ourselves learning to understand each other better. And when we understand each other, then we have more in common, and more to cherish.
Lucid Dreamer (2015)
Label: DoubleTime Music
* Included on the first-round ballot for the 2015 Grammys - Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance (Classical), Best Engineered Album (Classical), Best Contemporary Composition (Classical)
In 2013, Kontras commissioned Jens Kruger of the internationally renowned Kruger Brothers to write a brand new work for string quartet, banjo, guitar and bass. A year of intense composing resulted in an exquisite work with seven movements - a fascinating hybrid of classical and American folk - entitled Lucid Dreamer.
In the composer's words: "Lucid Dreamer is a musical interpretation of experiencing a waking state of reverie. The music is a delicate idea that gathers strength and takes flight, releasing the listener from the surly bonds of earth as it soars, dips and glides like a flock of birds. It is a journey that touches upon the dynamic created between the fragility of life and the boldness that it takes to live it...”
KQ's commission was made possible by the Chamber Music America Classical Commissioning Program, with generous funding provided by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Chamber Music America Endowment Fund.