CD Review | Jaap Nico Hamburger: Piano Quartet (Leaf Music, 2023)

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Jaap Nico Hamburger: Piano Quartet
Axel Strauss, Victor Fournelle-Blain, Yegor Dyachkov, Ilya Poletaev
Leaf Music, 2023

In July, Halifax-based independent label Leaf Music released a new opus by composer Jaap Nico Hamburger. This three-movement work for quartet (violin, viola, cello and fortepiano) comes in at almost 12 minutes, and is interpreted by Axel Strauss, Victor Fournelle-Blain, Yegor Dyachkov and Ilya Poletaev.

In fact, it’s a preview of Hamburger’s next album. The Dutch-born Canadian composer is currently an artist-in-residence in Montreal as part of the Mécénat Musica program. The label has announced that the recording will be part of Hamburger’s next collection of chamber music, scheduled for release in November of 2023. The composer is known for his highly visual works, reflective of his interest in creating new formats of expression that combine opera and cinema—these characteristics come through in this recording.

From the introspective, contemplative “Andante” first movement, the composer leads listeners into a highly dynamic “Allegro Vivace” before soothing them with an exquisite, shimmering, and evocative “Poco Andante – Quasi ad libitum” rhythm. This is sure to leave fans of his style eagerly awaiting the next musical project from this former cardiologist, whose first orchestral music success was for a film produced by the Discovery channel.

This page is also available in / Cette page est également disponible en: Francais (French)