Collectif9 is a Montréal string ensemble known for its innovative programming and unique arrangements of classical repertoire, performing across North America, Europe, and Asia since 2011.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Gustav Mahler composed like a painter, creating space for each instrument and showcasing each in turn, even within a large ensemble.
Interpretation
Collectif9, the ensemble on this recording, created their own arrangements of Mahler's orchestral music for a group of nine string instruments to find new colors and textures.
Compositional Technique
The album includes Philippe Hersant's Fantaisie à la manière de Callot, an homage to Mahler that uses fragments from various Mahler works, echoing "The Hunter's Funeral."
Album & Artwork
The album title, "No Time for Chamber Music," is a quote from Luciano Berio's Sinfonia, a work that is literally built on the scherzo of Gustav Mahler's Second Symphony.
Interpretation
The ensemble Collectif9 plays without a conductor, which required them to adapt the instrumentation to achieve rhythmic cohesion.
