http://trostrecords.bandcamp.com/album/albertina-quartett

The Koehne Quartet:
Joanna Lewis – 1. Violine
Anne Harvey-Nagl – 2. Violine
Lena Fankhauser – Viola
Mara Achleitner – Violoncello

Hermann Nitsch’s String Quartet No.2 in six movements for 2 violins, viola, and violoncello, transcribed by Michael Mautner and performed by the Viennese Koehne Quartet. Recorded during the exhibition NITSCH. Spaces of Color at the ALBERTINA Museum, Vienna on the 29th May 2019.

Hermann Nitsch does not write down his music in musical notation, but divides the individual movements into time segments of 1 minute duration and precisely defines sound events, durations, dynamics and actions with words or signs. His instructions are e.g.: deep sound, whole tone cluster, D minor, F major or noise. In the 3rd movement of the 1st quartet there were 4 Schuhplattler simultaneously; a very unusual but fascinating constellation. The transcription on this work was also fascinating for Michael Mautner. You could play from his scores yourself, but when rehearsal time is tight you have to transcribe into musical notation.