Luigi Nono (1924-1990)

Fragments – Quietude. An Diotima for string quartet (excerpt)

Minguet Quartet

MP3 recorded at the Beethoven House, Bonn on September 24, 2010 by Deutsche Welle (DW)

"All of my works are based on some human incentive: an event, an experience, a text of our life touches my instinct and my conscience and expects from me that I bear witness, both as musician and as human being," the Italian composer Luigi Nono wrote. One of the most important composers of the post-World War II period, Nono provoked numerous cultural-political controversies and scandals due to his political convictions.

A half century later, Nono still sounds strikingly new, especially as rendered by the Minguet Quartet.

Annette Reisinger, violinist in the quartet, elaborated on the theme of this year's Beethovenfest, "Into the Open," in these words: "Having the courage to step out into the open means being prepared for freedom, being prepared for the good fortune of emptiness, the material from which music is made. Every day, a musician gingerly tries to dismantle human hurdles to reach that pure state of happiness."

Author: Suzanne Cords (als)

Editor: Rick Fulker