In 2001, four young women of mainly Taiwanese origin met in Germany and decided to make music together there. They called themselves the ‘Jade Quartet’. Jade is a precious stone, ‘Ja’ is the Chinese word for Asia and ‘De’ stands for Germany (Deutschland).

On their ‘EigenArt-CD’, Hanlin Liang und Hyun Ji You (violins), Kai-Hsi Fan (viola) and Shih-Yu Yu (violoncello) bring the unfamiliar music of their homeland, infused with European influences, closer to us by infusing it with European influences. The composer Jin Peng, also from Taiwan, studied in Germany and writes music that tells of her homeland, including much about her childhood. A fascinating and enriching extension of the spectrum offered by the string quartet. This recording shows how this genre can take on other influences, give something back to them and how it can develop further.