The Vertavo Quartet have performed in some of the most prestigious concert venues in the world. Their special affinity for contemporary music has led them to give commanding performances of works by Ligeti, Adès, Widmann and Nørgård.

Here they present an exclusive and captivating recording of music by Nils Henrik Asheim. Nils Henrik Asheim (b. 1960) combines a strong grip on overall form with a fascination for detail. His music is original and challenging, but alongside its underlying seriousness there is also a playful spirit at work. In the title work Broken Line, Asheim describes playing techniques with words such as rust, grey, stone and flame. Music that stops in order to present its surface, freezes, can paradoxically give a simultaneous feeling of depth.

In the violin/cello piece Navig, each player controls the order of the various components, not knowing what the other musician is planning. In Chase this idea is continued, dividing a string sextet into two trios. In Nicht, on the other hand, the composer is totally in control over all the parameters – all the way. In the miniatures entitled x1–x5, Asheim has asked the Vertavo Quatet to incorporate an improvisatory element into the music.

The Vertavo Quartet’s discography includes recordings of Nielsen, Schumann, Brahms, Grieg and Debussy, all for SIMAX Classics, as well as the Mozart and Brahms clarinet quintets with Martin Fröst for BIS Records. Their Debussy and Grieg disc was highly praised by Gramophone magazine: "Captivating performances which get right to the heart of these intensely emotional works - Not to be missed." Their recording of the complete Bartók Quartets, released in November 2001 was the BBC Music Magazine “Recording of the Month” in May 2002.


Tracklisting:

1. x1
2. Navigo
3. x2
4. Broken Line
5. x3
6. Nicht
7. x4
8. Chase
9. x5