Simon Holt

3rd Quartet

Simon Holt 's 3rd Quartet is the third of six pieces which make up a cycle with the overall title 'Terrain'. Lasting around 23 minutes, this wonderful work is arranged for String Quartet and was co-commissioned by The Radcliffe Trust, NMC Recordings, Internationales Musikfestival Heidelberger Fruhling and Wigmore Hall. The premiere was performed on 19th January 2015. This is the set of parts for 2 Violins, Viola and Cello. The six different compositions, of which 3rd Quartet is the third, are for different combinations of stringed instruments, featuring Piano in the second piece. The music that comprises 3rd Quartet is drawn from the other parts of the cycle as a whole, yet in a reverse order. In this way the piece develops what has come before, foreshadows what's to come, all the while encompassing the entire cycle in a single piece.