The music of the American composer David Felder (*1953) is often related to esoteric, mystical, spiritual or philosophical themes. These are particularly evident in his more recent works. The Arditti Quartet enjoys a world-wide reputation for their spirited and technically refined interpretations of contemporary and earlier 20th century music. Many hundreds of string quartets and other chamber works have been written for the ensemble since it's foundation by first violinist Irvine Arditti in 1974. Many of these works have left a permanent mark on 20th century repertoire and have given the Arditti Quartet a firm place in music history. World premieres of quartets by composers such as Abrahamsen, Ades, Andriessen, Aperghis, Birtwistle, Britten, Cage, Stockhausen, Xenakis and hundreds more show the wide range of music in the Arditti Quartet's repertoire.