On 13 February the Kuss Quartet present the UK premiere of Francisco Coll’s String Quartet – Códices at Wigmore Hall. The 20-minute piece, cast in four movements, was commissioned for the Kuss Quartet by Kammermusik Basel, Konzerthaus Berlin, Wigmore Hall, Het Concertgebouw, and Musik 21 Niedersachsen.
The subtitle reflects the way Coll’s quartet compiles pre-existing music – some ancient and some more recent – albeit transforming it at the same time. The quartet opens with ‘Hutsulka Ksenia (Гуцулка Ксеня)’, based on a Ukrainian folk song. The second movement, ‘Cantos I’, reworks music from Cantos (2017), Coll’s only other composition for string quartet to date, premiered by Cuarteto Casals. Cantos was itself derived from the solo violin work Hyperlude V (2015). This reimagination of the material zooms in on the original, the four players disclosing different aspects of the solo line.
‘Quejío’ recalls the way Coll’s music is steeped in flamenco traditions. The title has various translations, but evokes the grief-stricken cry or lament exclaimed during flamenco performances. Here folk-like ornamentation is passed between the various dance partners of the quartet, in a shifting set of solos, duets, and trios. Archaic music completes the work. ‘Cantos II’ draws on the Ugarit Hurrian Cult Hymn (circa 1400 B.C.) - the oldest song recorded in writing. The violin presents the melody in its uppermost register as the movement draws to its mysterious close, sinking into shadowy, primeval depths with a detuned cello C-string and whispered bowing on the instrument’s tailpiece.
The quartet premiered the work in October 2023 at Stadtcasino Basel, with the German premiere taking place at Kloster Wennigsen, followed by further national debuts in at the Concertgebouw and Berlin Konzerthaus. In May 2025 they present the work at Festival Acht Brücken.
Francisco Coll: A Portrait (Challenge Classics) is released on 31 January – a disc capturing nearly fifteen years of creativity from the composer. New European Ensemble and conductor Tito Muñoz journey through a range of ensemble and chamber works including Taleas oblicuas (with oboist Christopher Bouwman), Piedras, Liquid Symmetries, trio ...de voz aceitunada (with guitarist Jacob Kellermann) and Three Pieces ‘after Turia’ for piano solo. Hear an excerpt from Liquid Symmetries here.