He is certainly one of the most talented, accomplished and experimental cellists of the moment - the Brit Peter Gregson proves time and again how much he enjoys venturing into new territory, both compositionally and instrumentally, exploring fields of tension without losing sight of the conceptual approach.
On 11 November his new studio album will be released on the Deutsche Grammophon label, with Peter Gregson signed as an exclusive artist. QUARTETS: THREE AND FOUR is, however, not a work that can be understood independently of his previous works, but rather a completion of an idea that has driven the artist since 2016. At that time, he set himself the goal of creating a "quartet of quartets" - with the EPs "Quartets One" and "Quartets Two", released in 2016 and 2017, he came halfway to achieving this goal.
His new album now closes the circle. Of course, not without following an approach that ultimately results in a self-contained work. If "Quartets One" began with a purely acoustic total sound, "Quartets Two" followed with synthesizers as an additional instrumental layer. Now he takes another step further: "With the new music on 'Quartets Three' I wanted to explore the idea of 'natural electronics', a breathing soundscape in which the natural warmth of the string quartet and the potentially cold world of electronics can coexist," says Gregson.
The quartet is completed with a return to pure acoustics. "The music on 'Quartets Four' is written for the Carducci Quartet and with this I wanted to develop my insight into pure quartet composition. First exploring 'subordinate' lines (i.e. solo violin, violin, viola, cello part separately) and as a common voice (quartet)," explains Peter Gregson.
Peter Gregson: III Sequence (Eight):
Peter Gregson (*1987) is a composer, cellist and artist under contract with Deutsche Grammophon. His music is regularly commissioned by the world's leading choreographers and dance companies, including Theaterhaus Stuttgart / Gauthier Dance, Joffrey Ballet, PA Ballet, Het Nationale Ballet and Ballet BC. His acclaimed Bach Recomposed was recently choreographed by Kristian Lever at Hamburg State Opera.
Gregson has provided renowned film music for Roger Michell's Blackbird (starring Susan Sarandon and Kate Winslet) and The Gardener of Versailles. His music also has a strong reputation in some of the most popular television series of the moment, including Netflix's Bridgerton and HBO's The New Pope.
As a cellist, he performs on stages around the world, from the Royal Albert Hall in London to the Jazz Club in Beijing, from the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg to the Capitol Studios in Hollywood.
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