Lachenmann: Works for String Quartet

Album information

CONVERSATIONS IN SOUND: REDEFINING THE STRING QUARTET WITH HELMUT LACHENMANN

Quatuor Diotima presents Lachenmann: String Quartets, a powerful testament to their 25-year collaboration with visionary composer Helmut Lachenmann. Known for pioneering “instrumental musique concrète,” Lachenmann redefined the sonic possibilities of the string quartet. Their first meeting in 1998, originally just a one-week workshop, sparked a deep artistic bond and a shared fascination with his radical approach to sound and listening. This album is the result of hundreds of hours spent in rehearsal, performance, and conversation – a tribute to a composer who has become a central figure in contemporary music. Lachenmann: String Quartets captures not only the evolution of a musical language, but also the story of a transformative and enduring partnership.

The quartet returns to PENTATONE following their acclaimed releases Metamorphosis Ligeti (2023), Bruckner & Klose: String Quartets (2024), and Boulez: Livre pour Quatuor (2025).

Released physically on standard CD.

REVIEWS:

The Guardian – Top Classical Recordings of 2025

Junge Welt – Best of 2025

Opus Klassiek: “This recording is the result of nearly 25 years of shared work: likely hundreds of hours of rehearsal, perhaps a hundred concerts. And certainly hundreds of hours of conversation and laughter. In short: a testament to 25 years of passion.”

Qobuz: “Quatuor Diotima, who has worked closely with Lachenmann in the past, clearly understands the level of precision needed for this technical approach to succeed and perform with clarity.”

The Guardian – Five-star review: “Quatuor Diotima have worked on this music with the composer for 25 years, and their performances have tremendous authority and confidence, drawing you into their strange and compelling world. It’s a fascinating experience.”

Stuttgarter Zeitung – Highly recommended in Lachenmann feature

Sonograma: “This record release is a milestone that documents the evolution of a unique artistic dialogue and consolidates the presence of Lachenmann’s quartets as central works in the contemporary repertoire.”

Gramophone – Editor’s Choice for December: “For all three quartets, a macrocosm of underworldly music finds both refinement and yet abandon in this standout recording.”

The New York Times – Five Classical Albums You Must Hear round-up: “What Quatuor Diotima offers here is not comfort but conviction, a performance rooted in the belief that art matters most when it unsettles.”

Scherzo: “Equally impeccable is the performance of Grido (2001), a quartet in which Diotima impresses with its energy and overwhelming dynamism, uniting harmonic procedures and extended techniques with such coherent logic that it makes its recording one of the best on the market.”