COMPANY

In its first international CD recording Company, released in September 2017, Borusan Quartet focuses on a contemporary repertoire.

The ensemble masterfully performs String Quartet No. 2 titled “Company” by Philip Glass, String Quartet No. 4 by Pēteris Vasks, “Summa” by Arvo Pärt, and String Quartet No. 2 titled “Untold” by Hasan Uçarsu.

American composer Philip Glass is a versatile artist who is well known not only in the field of classical music but also in the fields of dance, opera, popular music and the world of cinema. His collaborations with Woody Allen, Paul Simon, Allen Ginsberg, Martin Scorsese and David Bowie make him unique.

Glass initially composed “Company” for a stage adaptation of the short novel of the same title by Samuel Beckett, however, the work has eventually taken its place among the essentials of classical music. In “Company” consisting of four movements, Glass blends minimal and dramatic influences within the intimacy of chamber music.

Latvian composer Peteris Vasks is a recipient of numerous awards including the Cannes Classical Award and has secured a place among contemporary European composers. String Quartet No. 4 performed in this album bearing the influence of Shostakovich, is a piece he composed for Kronos Quartet and dedicated to his mother.

Arvo Pärt is amongst the greatest living composers… Pärt who has created his own audience by giving a whole new dimension to classical music, is one of the leading figures of the contemporary minimalist movement. The influence of masters as Shostakovich and Prokofiev is strongly felt in his work. In this album, Borusan Quartet presents a successful rendition of the Latvian composer’s work titled “Summa”.

The last piece of the album is String Quartet No. 2 titled “Untold” by the successful and prolific composer Hasan Uçarsu. Two movements of the piece that is strongly influenced by Anatolian cultures are dedicated to Turkish folk singer Neşet Ertaş and cellist Reyent Bölükbaşı.

PHILIP GLASS (b. 1937)
String Quartet No. 2, “Company”