This CD received its launch in Bantry at the Callino festival two weeks ago and a remarkable contribution to the Irish contemporary repertoire it is. Wilson's 4th, 5th and 6th quartets, all written within an 18-month period shortly after he was forced to relocate from Belgrade when the Nato bombings began in 1999, are presented here alongside his 2004 'Seven Elegiac Pieces' (Lyric Suite). The stark coldness of the 4th, 5th and 6th is achieved with some extraordinary extended string techniques whilst the Lyric Suite allows the Callino quartet exploration more specific to their own honeyed sound.

Karen Dervan