Chambers

Artists

Album Info

Release Date: 2013-10-26

Label: Parlour Tapes+

Widely regarded as one of Chicago’s most magnetic and forward-thinking chamber ensembles, Spektral Quartet joins the city’s first contemporary art music cassette tape label, Parlour Tapes+, to release their debut album, CHAMBERS.  A showcase of the quartet’s signature virtuosity and interpretive dexterity, CHAMBERS was created in collaboration with composers Marcos Balter, Eliza Brown, Chris Fisher-Lochhead, Ben Hjertmann, Hans Thomalla, and Liza White.  From exquisite microtonal harmonies to textures at the edge of the audible to hyper-kinetic guitar-pick strumming, CHAMBERS leads listeners through six rooms, each filled with a distinct voice and unique acoustic.

Since its inception, the Spektral Quartet has sought out the discourse between the masterworks of the traditional canon and those written this decade, this year, or this week. The group’s inclusive approach to concert format, transforming the audience experience from a transactional one to a far more intimate phenomenon, has earned it a loyal following within and far beyond the city limits.

Now in its fourth season, the Spektral Quartet serves as ensemble-in-residence at the University of Chicago and was invited in 2013 to join the Rush Hour Series’s Back-of-the-Yards project, which will offer year-long music education and community engagement in one of Chicago’s most underserved neighborhoods.