Company: Glass, Part, Ucarsu & Vasks Borusan Quartet

• Arvo Pärt (1935- ):
• 1 Summa 04:38
• Hasan Uçarsu (1965- ):
• 2 String Quartet No. 2 "The Untold": I. Prologue 02:14
• 3 String Quartet No. 2 "The Untold": II. Bozlak (In Memory of Neşet Ertaş) 07:53
• 4 String Quartet No. 2 "The Untold": III. Karşılama 05:17
• 5 String Quartet No. 2 "The Untold": IV. Epilogue (In Memory of Reyent Bölükbaşı) 03:25
• Philip Glass (1937- ):
• 6 String Quartet No. 2 "Company": I. 02:28
• 7 String Quartet No. 2 "Company": II. 01:45
• 8 String Quartet No. 2 "Company": III. 01:44
• 9 String Quartet No. 2 "Company": IV. 02:13
• Peteris Vasks (1946- ):
• 10 String Quartet No. 4: I. Elegy 07:34
• 11 String Quartet No. 4: II. Toccata I 02:57
• 12 String Quartet No. 4: III. Choral 06:38
• 13 String Quartet No. 4: IV. Toccata II 04:09
• 14 String Quartet No. 4: V. Meditation 10:41
• Total Runtime 01:03:36

Info for Company: Glass, Part, Ucarsu & Vasks

Taking its title from the 2nd String Quartet by Philip Glass, the Borusan Quartet's exciting new album focuses on contemporary repertoire, embracing the spiritual minimalism of Arvo Pärt's 'Summa', to the expansive 4th Quartet of Peteris Vasks. This work, with its multi-faceted emotions swings from the contemplative to the combative: "I saw an angel flying over the world; the angel looks at the world’s condition with grieving eyes, but an almost imperceptible, loving touch of the angel’s wings brings comfort and healing", wrote the composer of the quartet's finale. The work has moments of conflict reminiscent of Shostakovich in places: a depiction of the condition of the world today perhaps?

The world of theatre is the background to the Glass. The source of this Quartet was a 1983 dramatisation of Samuel Beckett's prose poem 'Company'.

Traditional music from the Borusan Quartet's homeland and in particular Anatolia is to be found in the String Quartet No.2 'The Untold’ by Turkish composer Hasan Ucarsu. It draws on Turkish folk music and traditions, especially the festival of 'Hidrelliz' which celebrates the coming of Summer. The songs of Neset Ertas were in the composer's mind when writing this quartet, especially in the 2nd movement. Rhythmically complex it is a colourful and dramatic work influenced by the music of the composer’s country in the same way as Hungarian folk music colours Bartok's Quartets and Balkar and Kabardinian folk music does in Prokofiev's F major Quartet. Born in 1965, Hasan Ucarsu studied in Turkey with Ahmed Adnam Saygun and then in the USA with George Crumb.

The Borusan Quartet:
Esen Kivrak, 1st violin
Olgu Kizilay, 2nd violin
Efdal Altun, viola
Çag Ercag, cello

Borusan Quartet
The Borusan Quartet was founded in 2005 under the guidance of Maestro Gürer Aykal. They have since joined master-classes of Alban Berg Quartet, Juilliard Quartet, Gürer Aykal, Joshua Epstein and Maxim Vengerov. They play on invaluable instruments like a 1776 Lorenzo Storioni violin, a 1662 Nicoló Amati violin, a 2008 make Stefano Conia viola and a 1740 Petrus Guarneri cello thanks to a collaboration between Borusan Sanat and the Maggini Foundation in Switzerland.

In addition to their regular performances at the Süreyya Opera House in Kadıköy, Istanbul, the Quartet enjoys a busy schedule with concerts and tours in Turkey and abroad. They have participated in Schleswig-Holstein, Merano, Mozart, Napfilon, Bodensee, West Cork, Europalia, Mersin, Bodrum D-Marin, Istanbul and Ankara music festivals and in addition to many venues in Turkey, appeared at Zurich Tonhalle, Carnegie Hall, Konzerthaus (Berlin), Le Corum (Montpellier), Schloss Elmau (Germany), L’arsenal (Metz) and G. Verdi Hall (Milan).

In addition to their recitals, they also played as soloists with Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic, Bilkent Symphony, Orchestra’Sion, Academic Orchestra of the Capital, and the state symphony orchestras of Samsun, Izmir, Istanbul, Bursa, Eskişehir and Antalya.

They received the “Chamber Ensemble of the Year” award at the Turkish Andante magazine’s first Classical Music Awards in May 2010 and the same year, won the gold medal at the 2010 ICMEC International Chamber Music Competition the finale of which was held at the Carnegie Weill Recital Hall, NY.

Until now, they have given the world premieres of works by contemporary Turkish composers Oğuzhan Balcı, Mahir Cetiz, Turgay Erdener, Özkan Manav, Alper Maral, Turgut Pöğün, Meliha Doğuduyal and Hasan Uçarsu written for them. They also had the privilege of premiering violinist and composer Alexey Igudesman’s two works, From Edirne to Kars and String Quartet, dedicated to them. Their first CD Erkin, Aykal, Saygun featuring string quartets of the composers in the title was published in May 2013 followed by their CD with İdil Biret of Schumann’s Piano Quintet published by IBA label of Naxos in 2014, and last CD Mozart & Verdi published by Lila Music in July 2016.

The Quartet gave concerts in Austria, Germany, France, Ireland, Italy, Algeria, Qatar, Portugal, Jordan, Switzerland, Greece, USA, Barbados, Japan, St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The Borusan Quartet enjoys chamber music partnerships with distinguished artists such as İdil Biret, Itamar Golan, Fazıl Say, Valentin Erben, Gülsin Onay, Hüseyin Sermet, Ruşen Güneş, Reto Bieri, Toros Can, Ferhan & Ferzan Önder, Igudesman & Joo, Muhiddin Dürrüoğlu, Fora Baltacıgil, Gökhan Aybulus and Lawrence Power.

Their repertoire encompasses a wide range of works from the classical period to the modern era with particular emphasis on the works of Turkish composers.

Booklet for Company: Glass, Part, Ucarsu & Vasks