(German for ''Dance of the Blessed Spirits'') is a

string quartet The term string quartet can refer to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two violinist ...

composed by

Helmut Lachenmann Helmut Friedrich Lachenmann (born 27 November 1935) is a German composer of contemporary classical music. His work has been associated with "instrumental musique concrète". Life and works Lachenmann was born in Stuttgart and after the end ...

in 1989.

History

This is Helmut Lachenmann's second string quartet, after ''Gran Torso'' (1971–1972) and before ''Grido'' (2001). The title is based on the name ', from Gluck's opera ''

Orfeo ed Euridice ' (; French: '; English: ''Orpheus and Eurydice'') is an opera composed by Christoph Willibald Gluck, based on the myth of Orpheus and set to a libretto by Ranieri de' Calzabigi. It belongs to the genre of the '' azione teatrale'', meaning an ...

''. The German composer wrote a text on this work entitled "On my Second String Quartet" (1995–2002), published in ''Écrits et Entretiens''.''Écrits et Entretiens – Sur mon Deuxième Quatuor à cordes''
éditions Contrechamps, 2009. It takes about half an hour to execute.

Analysis

This quartet is characterized by its various playing modes, which require to play first ''flautando'', then by playing the bow on the chevilles or the

scroll A scroll (from the Old French ''escroe'' or ''escroue''), also known as a roll, is a roll of papyrus, parchment, or paper containing writing. Structure A scroll is usually partitioned into pages, which are sometimes separate sheets of papyrus ...

of the instrument, then by "rocket sounds", executed by pushing the bow on the string in an accelerated manner, or in

pizzicato Pizzicato (, ; translated as "pinched", and sometimes roughly as "plucked") is a playing technique that involves plucking the strings of a string instrument. The exact technique varies somewhat depending on the type of instrument : * On bowe ...

. At some point, musicians must use a

plectrum A plectrum is a small flat tool used for plucking or strumming of a stringed instrument. For hand-held instruments such as guitars and mandolins, the plectrum is often called a pick and is held as a separate tool in the player's hand. In harpsic ...

and place their instrument on their knees like a guitar.

Discography

* ''Reigen Seliger Geister, Tanzsuite mit Deutschlandlied'',

Arditti Quartet The Arditti Quartet is a string quartet founded in 1974 and led by the British violinist Irvine Arditti. The quartet is a globally recognized promoter of contemporary classical music and has a reputation for having a very wide repertoire. T ...

, Montaigne 1994,

Naïve Records Naïve Records is a French independent record label based in Paris, specializing in electronic music, pop music, jazz and classical music. Founding and expansion It was founded in 1998 by Patrick Zelnik, former CEO of Virgin France, Gilles Pair ...

, 2000. * ''Grido – Reigen Seliger Geister – Gran Torso'', Arditti Quartet,

Kairos Kairos ( grc, καιρός) is an ancient Greek word meaning 'the right, critical, or opportune moment'. In modern Greek, ''kairos'' also means 'weather' or 'time'. It is one of two words that the ancient Greeks had for 'time'; the other be ...

, 2007. * ''String Quartets'', Stadler Quartett, NEOS, 2010. * ''Complete String Quartets'',

JACK Quartet The JACK Quartet is an American string quartet dedicated to the performance of contemporary classical music. It was founded in 2005 and is based in New York City. The four founding members are violinists Christopher Otto and Ari Streisfeld, violis ...

Mode Records Mode Records is an American record label in New York City that concentrates on contemporary classical music and other forms of avant-garde music. The label was founded by Brian Brandt in 1984, with a goal of releasing music composed by John Cage. ...

WDR WDR may refer to: * Waddell & Reed (stock ticker: WDR), an American asset management and financial planning company * Walt Disney Records, an American record label of the Disney Music Group * WDR neuron, a type of neuron involved in pain signall ...

, 2015.

References

External links

* * , Arditti Quartet {{DEFAULTSORT:Reigen seliger Geister 1989 compositions Compositions that use extended techniques String quartets