I CARE IF YOU LISTEN: 2018 Contemporary Classical Music Albums: Editor’s Picks
I CARE IF YOU LISTEN: 2018 Contemporary Classical Music Albums: Editor’s Picks
BY AMANDA COOK
BLUEPRINTING: AIZURI QUARTET
“Blueprinting (New Amsterdam Records) is the debut album from Aizuri Quartet–Ariana Kim and Miho Saegusa (violins); Ayane Kozasa (viola); and Karen Ouzounian (cello)–featuring five newly commissioned works by Gabriella Smith, Caroline Shaw, Yevgeniy Sharlat, Lembit Beecher, and Paul Wiancko. Blueprinting is a GRAMMY nominee for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance.
From Gabriella Smith’s infectious amalgam of extended techniques and folk idioms in Carrot Revolution to Caroline Shaw’s lush and effervescent Blueprint to the delicate, gossamer textures of Lembit Beecher’s suite from Sophia’s Wide Awake Dreams, Aizuri Quartet excels in every way, demonstrating brilliant musicianship throughout.”