The Dutch-based string quartet Belinfante Quartet releases its first album at 7 Mountain Records. Ellipse is about being close and about being far from each other. About a timeless, eternal travel. This speaks for the musicians (coming from different countries and backgrounds) but for the music as well. Time-wise, Caroline Shaw and John Playford are almost four centuries apart, but Britten and Shaw, however, are much closer. The latter composers explore harmony, form structure, and create a joyful experience for the musicians in playing the pieces.
Aside from spacing, an ellipse form also has different velocities. At its corners it’s speedy, in the middle it’s lazy. The program on this scintillating debut of the Belinfante Quartet reflects this phenomenon in numerous ways: whether it’s the kinetic and virtuosic solo cadenza’s in Britten’s 3rd movement of his 2nd Quartet, the brisk dances of Playford, or the lyrical and elegant 2nd movement of the Divertimenti. Profound, animated, orchestral, affectionate playing, all of this is richly represented in the performance of the Belinfante Quartet on their debut Ellipse.