Wait Till The Clouds Roll By - Works By Haydn & [CD]

Preparing a quartet turns abstract notes into a living, breathing musical world. Working on Haydn's Op. 77 and Shaw's Entr'acte felt like stepping through Alice's looking glass, where past and present meet. Performing both works on gut strings and classical bows created a shared expressive language across centuries. Shaw's piece, inspired by Haydn's sudden shift to D-flat major, plays with surreal transitions and rich, woody textures. Haydn's quartets, though few in number, reveal clarity, lyricism, and daring rhythmic exploration. Historical editions opened new interpretive possibilities, reminding us that each performance captures only one moment in an evolving tradition. Together, these works form portals into contrasting eras, emotions, and perspectivesPreparing a quartet transforms notes and structures from something abstract into a vivid, living form. As we shaped Haydn's String Quartets Op. 77 and Caroline Shaw's Entr'acte, Alice's Looking Glass became a fitting metaphor-a portal through which past and present coexist. As a historically informed quartet, we study how older works first resonated with audiences while approaching new compositions with the same curiosity. Playing both Haydn and Shaw on gut strings and classical bows allows a shared expressive language across centuries.Shaw's Entr'acte was directly inspired by Haydn's Op. 77 No. 2, especially it's unexpected shift to D-flat major. Structured like a minuet and trio, her piece explores playful, surreal transitions that feel like stepping through the looking glass. We relished discovering how harmonics, extended techniques, and historical bows create woody, textured colors unique to gut strings. The constantly shifting meters and the pavane-like middle section offered further opportunities for imaginative shaping.Haydn's Op. 77, though influential, is his shortest quartet collection. Commissioned as six quartets, only two were completed. We open Wait Till the Clouds Roll By with the second quartet in F major. It's first movement balances clarity with a misty, exploratory development. The Menuet feels rhythmically unstable before dissolving into the dreamy Trio. The Andante's serene theme and variations momentarily suspend time before the Finale jolts us awake. In working with historical editions-full of contradictions-we embrace the interpretive possibilities they offer, knowing a recording captures only one moment in an evolving tradition.In the G major quartet, a static yet expectant opening gives way to fragmented, lively exchanges. The Adagio offers spaciousness and sublime calm. Haydn's virtuosic Presto movements inspired us to experiment with tempo, including the daring 1854 metronome markings by Karol Lipinski.Wait Till the Clouds Roll By reflects our belief that music, like Alice's journey, helps us navigate a world of beauty, confusion, humor, and transformation. Through Haydn and Shaw, we experience portals between eras, emotions, and perspectives.The Butter Quartet consists of four musicians brought together by their mutual love of vibrant historically-informed performance of string quartets. They first formed during their studies at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, but soon developed a passion and dynamic that extended beyond their conservatory years. They released their debut album 'Scintilla' in July 2024 with Brilliant Classics. The Butter Quartet enjoys integrating their research on late 18th- and early 19th-century performance practice into powerful performances. They also bring the same spirit of discovery to newly-composed works for historically-setup instruments.