Overtures & Dances matured as a concept through years of touring and performing. Naturally, as we explored repertoire, we found pieces that resonated with audiences and had a special affinity with the quartet.
Mēla Guitar Quartet
Overtures & Dances
About the album
Overtures & Dances matured as a concept through years of touring and performing. Naturally, as we explored repertoire, we found pieces that resonated with audiences and had a special affinity with the quartet. These pieces tended to be ones that had a theatrical element in opera, ballet, or dance.
The possibilities of arrangement enabled by guitar quartet add another dimension, either using the spectrum of timbral colours of the guitar like “an orchestra in miniature” (as the great Andrés Segovia used to say), or to expand the music of one piano between four guitarists to make a rich, sustaining sonority, unobtainable with fewer guitars. We believe this collection of pieces pushes the boundaries of how guitar quartet can be used, but always in a way that best serves the storytelling, lyrical beauty, and often childlike wonder of these works.
Tracklist click to play/pause
-
Mikhail Glinka (arr. George Tarlton)
Ruslan and Lyudmila: Overture
5:20
5:20
-
Claude Debussy (arr. George Tarlton)
Deux Arabesques
-
No. 1, Andantino con moto
4:35
4:35
-
No. 2, Allegretto scherzando
3:48
3:48
-
-
Camille Saint-Saëns (arr. Daniel Bovey)
Samson et Delilah, Op. 47, Act III: Bacchanale
7:31
7:31
-
Maurice Ravel (arr. Matthew Robinson)
Ma mère l'Oye, M. 60
-
Pavane de la Belle au bois dormant. Lent
1:42
1:42
-
Petit Poucet. Très modéré
3:12
3:12
-
Laideronnette, Impératrice des pagodes. Mouvement de marche
3:35
3:35
-
Les entretiens de la Belle et de la Bête. Mouvement de valse modéré
4:13
4:13
-
Le jardin féerique. Lent et grave
3:25
3:25
-
-
Sergei Rachmaninoff (arr. Vyacheslav Gryaznov / George Tarlton)
Polka italienne, TN ii/21
3:58
3:58
-
Gustav Holst (arr. George Tarlton)
A Fugal Overture, Op. 40, No. 1
4:56
4:56
-
Edward Elgar (arr. Zahrah Hutton)
3 Characteristic Pieces, Op. 10: No. 3, Contrasts: The Gavotte - A.D. 1700 and 1900
4:01
4:01
-
Engelbert Humperdinck (arr. George Tarlton)
Hänsel und Gretel: Overture
7:51
7:51
-
Joe Hisaishi (arr. Daniel Bovey)
My Neighbour Totoro Suite
5:38
5:38
More information
| Weight | 100 g |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 142 × 125 × 10 mm |
| Label | TRPTK |
| Genre(s) | Classical – Romantic (1830-1920) Classical – Contemporary (> 1920) |
| Artist(s) | Mēla Guitar Quartet |
| Composer(s) | Bovey, Daniel Debussy, Claude Elgar, Edward Glinka, Mikhail Gryaznov, Vyacheslav Hisaishi, Joe Holst, Gustav Humperdinck, Engelbert Hutton, Zahrah Rachmaninoff, Sergei Ravel, Maurice Robinson, Matthew Saint-Saëns, Camille Tarlton, George |
| Recording location(s) | d'Rentmeester, Valthermond (NL) |
| Recording date(s) | August 2024 |
| Cat. No. | TTK 0145 |
|---|---|
| Release date |
January 24th, 2025 |
| Additional links |
Tech specs
| Microphones | Josephson C617 w/ Gefell MK221 capsules (main & height) |
|---|---|
| Microphone preamps | Grace Design m801mk2 |
| AD/DA conversion | Merging Technologies Hapi MkII |
| Recording resolution | DSD 11.2MHz 1bit |
| Mastering resolution | PCM 352.8kHz 64bit |
| Monitoring (recording) | Audeze LCD-X |
| Monitoring (mastering) | Grimm Audio LS1be |
| Cabling | Grimm Audio TPR XLR |
"Playing instruments crafted by British luthier Michael Gee, the award-winning quartet exploits the timbral potential of the guitar to create new versions that don't necessarily replicate the familiar arrangements of the works through transcription but instead recast the material anew. The dense, intricate tapestries presented throughout the release by Mela Guitar Quartet beguile from start to finish, and the stellar playing by the group is never less than exacting."
Ron Schepper, Textura
"This is guitar ensemble music at the very highest level, technically brilliant, with all the varieties known to modern “classical” guitar playing and musically absolutely convincing. A CD that is simply fun!"
Ursula Magnes, Radio Klassik Stephansdom
"Sometimes it is hard to believe that you are really listening to four guitars, and not a harpsichord, a celesta, a chopping board or even a harp. The Mela Guitar Quartet convinces with glowing interplay in music by Debussy, Ravel, Glinka, Elgar and Joe Hisaishi (from the Japanese animated classic My Neighbor Totoro), among others. Delightful."
Joep Stapel, NRC
"The quartet's reputation is confirmed by these renditions to be at the absolute top and the recording is — we already know it from Brendon Heinst — in a class of its own. The balance between the four instruments is perfect, just as the exquisite timbres come to life particularly beautifully."
Aart van der Wal, Opus Klassiek
"This collection of pieces pushes the boundaries of how guitar quartets can be employed, but always in a way that best suits the story, lyrical beauty and often childlike wonder of these works."
Reformatorisch Dagblad
"The arrangements, by past and present quartet members, invariably hit the mark, Daniel Bovey’s miniature suite based on Joe Hisaishi’s My Neighbour Totoro film score a delightful closer. TRPTK’s production values are high end, and the documentation is excellent."
Graham Rickson, The Arts Desk
