Kalabis V. (1923-2006) Complete String Quartets Nos.1-7 / Kocian Quartet, Zemlinsky Q.

Viktor Kalabis (1923-2006) - Complete String Quartets 1-7.

CD I:

1.-4. String Quartet No.1 Op.6 25:20

5.-7. String Quartet No.2 Op.9 15:32

8.-10. String Quartet No.3 Op.48 17:55

CD II:

1. String Quartet No.4 Op.62

2.-4. String Quartet No.5 Op.63 19:59

5.-7. String Quartet No.6 Op.68 16:34

8. String Quartet No.7 Op.76 14:27

Recorded in Domovina Studio, July 1, 20-21, 2009 (CD I), and in Prague on June 2009 (CD II)

Kocian Quartet, Zemlinsky Quartet

A tribute to Viktor Kalabis, one of the foremost Czech composers of the latter half of the 20th century, a close friend of Jindřich Feld (1925–2007) and Marek Kopelent (b. 1932), who lived through both the German occupation and the communist era. He was deeply drawn to French culture, admired Stravinsky’s Russian and French periods, and valued the artistic principles of Bartók. Kalabis felt at home in large symphonic and concerto forms, yet he also created seven intimate string quartets between 1949 and 1993. His wife, the harpsichordist Zuzana Růžičková, a survivor of Terezín, guided him toward the music of Bach. He was further inspired by painters such as Marc Chagall and Ota Janeček, and he devoted many years to promoting the legacy of Bohuslav Martinů, eventually helping to establish the Martinů Institute.

(Praga Digitals 2010)