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Metier

Robert Saxton: String Quartets 3 & 4, Sonata for Solo Violin

$18.99

Details

Composer
Robert Saxton
Artist
Kreutzer Quartet, Peter Sheppard Skaerved
Format
CD
Discs
1
Label
Metier
Released
May 23, 2025
Catalog #
MEX77138
UPC
809730713828

About

Reflections in Time brings together three major works by Robert Saxton which push the expressive and structural boundaries of the string quartet and solo violin. Performed by the renowned Kreutzer Quartet and violinist Peter Sheppard Skaerved, this album beautifully illustrates Saxton's ability to fuse intellectual rigor with deeply evocative musical storytelling. String Quartet No. 3 (2009) unfolds in five intricately woven movements, charting a course through cyclical forms and shifting modal landscapes. A work of compelling contrast, it moves from the meditative austerity of Winter Light to the driving energy of Dance, before closing with Continuing Journey, a movement that dissolves into the very resonance of it's own beginning. The Sonata for Solo Violin, Reflections in Time (2023), written for and inspired by Skaerved's artwork, is a profound exploration of symmetry, memory, and transformation. Saxton constructs a sonic world where melodic gestures mirror and refract, capturing the essence of time's fluidity. With a structure reminiscent of the palindromic forms found in Bach and Berg, the work challenges perceptions of musical motion, forging an organic connection between sound and visual art. String Quartet No. 4 (2023) is a meditation on creation and renewal, mapping an ascent through seven movements, each tied to a symbolic pitch cycle. From the opening Wavebreak, evoking the birth of sound and motion, to the final movement, Daybreak, which resonates with echoes of all that preceded it, the quartet embodies a vast temporal and harmonic journey. It's centerpiece, "... The dancing will never be done... ," is an urgent and restless dance, framed by introspective movements that contemplate the passage of time and human experience. Saxton's music is defined by it's meticulous craftsmanship and philosophical depth. In Reflections in Time, his long-standing collaboration with the Kreutzer Quartet and Sheppard Skaerved reaches new heights, producing performances that are as precise as they are impassioned. This recording offers a vital addition to the contemporary string repertoire, appealing to listeners attuned to the intellectual and emotional possibilities of modern chamber music.

Tracklist 17 tracks

  1. 1 I. Departure and Return 03:21
    Track
    1
    Title
    I. Departure and Return
    Duration
    03:21
    Composer
    Robert Saxton
    Ensemble
    Kreutzer Quartet
  2. 2 II. Winter Light 03:58
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. Winter Light
    Duration
    03:58
    Composer
    Robert Saxton
    Ensemble
    Kreutzer Quartet
  3. 3 III. Dance 03:44
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Dance
    Duration
    03:44
    Composer
    Robert Saxton
    Ensemble
    Kreutzer Quartet
  4. 4 IV. Sea Ground 04:31
    Track
    4
    Title
    IV. Sea Ground
    Duration
    04:31
    Composer
    Robert Saxton
    Ensemble
    Kreutzer Quartet
  5. 5 V. Continuing Journey 03:09
    Track
    5
    Title
    V. Continuing Journey
    Duration
    03:09
    Composer
    Robert Saxton
    Ensemble
    Kreutzer Quartet
  6. 6 I. — 05:14
    Track
    6
    Title
    I. —
    Duration
    05:14
    Composer
    Robert Saxton
    Performer
    Peter Sheppard Skærved
  7. 7 II. — 04:07
    Track
    7
    Title
    II. —
    Duration
    04:07
    Composer
    Robert Saxton
    Performer
    Peter Sheppard Skærved
  8. 8 III. — 04:00
    Track
    8
    Title
    III. —
    Duration
    04:00
    Composer
    Robert Saxton
    Performer
    Peter Sheppard Skærved
  9. 9 IV. — 04:38
    Track
    9
    Title
    IV. —
    Duration
    04:38
    Composer
    Robert Saxton
    Performer
    Peter Sheppard Skærved
  10. 10 V. — 07:32
    Track
    10
    Title
    V. —
    Duration
    07:32
    Composer
    Robert Saxton
    Performer
    Peter Sheppard Skærved
  11. 11 I. Wavebreak 02:35
    Track
    11
    Title
    I. Wavebreak
    Duration
    02:35
    Composer
    Robert Saxton
    Ensemble
    Kreutzer Quartet
  12. 12 II. Time Spiral: Passacaglia 04:39
    Track
    12
    Title
    II. Time Spiral: Passacaglia
    Duration
    04:39
    Composer
    Robert Saxton
    Ensemble
    Kreutzer Quartet
  13. 13 III. Nightscape 03:58
    Track
    13
    Title
    III. Nightscape
    Duration
    03:58
    Composer
    Robert Saxton
    Ensemble
    Kreutzer Quartet
  14. 14 IV. … The Dancing Will Never Be Done … 06:20
    Track
    14
    Title
    IV. … The Dancing Will Never Be Done …
    Duration
    06:20
    Composer
    Robert Saxton
    Ensemble
    Kreutzer Quartet
  15. 15 V. … At the Still Point of the Turning World … 03:52
    Track
    15
    Title
    V. … At the Still Point of the Turning World …
    Duration
    03:52
    Composer
    Robert Saxton
    Ensemble
    Kreutzer Quartet
  16. 16 VI. Hymn 03:10
    Track
    16
    Title
    VI. Hymn
    Duration
    03:10
    Composer
    Robert Saxton
    Ensemble
    Kreutzer Quartet
  17. 17 VII. Daybreak 04:28
    Track
    17
    Title
    VII. Daybreak
    Duration
    04:28
    Composer
    Robert Saxton
    Ensemble
    Kreutzer Quartet