They are four Berlin boys who enjoy playing classical pieces from memory, then confronting them with jazz, Minimalism, and all sorts of popular music. They compose some of their pieces, arrange several others, whether they come from folk, rock, punk, or world rhythms. In this sense, Vision String Quartet is somewhat like the Kronos and Brodsky quartets. In the Field is a first release under the ACT label.
The program, at first glance, is freely eclectic. But upon closer inspection, there is a development, a narrative arc. At the heart of this arc, Bartok’s 4th quartet, and on this foundation, the ensemble explores both the connections with Impressionism (Ravel) and Romanticism (Dvorak) as well as others with contemporary improvisation, folklore (an obvious choice when thinking of Bartok), and conventional jazz.
Classicism and innovation
Classical pieces are played “as is” (2nd movement of Ravel’s quartet; 3rd and 5th movements of Bartok’s 3rd; 3rd movement of Dvorak’s 13th), but then, these and others, revisited in innovative arrangements, imbued with freedom and colourful spontaneity. I note favorably the 2nd and 4th movements of Bartok transformed into “Percussive Dimensions,” with the refined contribution of percussionist Bernhard Schimpelsberger. Also the excellent Ravel Reloaded, which has nothing to do with any kind of electronic manipulation, but rather an improvised version where the brilliance of the moment takes on a very sculpted dimension, a thousand miles away from a Jacques Loussier jazz version. I have nothing against the Loussier way, on the contrary, but the Berliners are completely elsewhere.
What we also love, and above all, is that the classical versions are played with a verve and quality that are by no means diminished. It’s not because we embrace eclecticism that we should neglect the expertise and rigour of scholarly interpretation.
Balancing the act
The guys balance it all with a few beautifully transformed popular pieces, such as Grimasch om Morgonen, a 1965 song by Cornelis Vreeswijk, Convalescence, a joyful launch with gipsy colours, or Skymning by Joel Lyssarides, which concludes the journey on a gentle breeze of minimalist/cinematic style.
In the Field is a very delightful album, especially for the refined ecumenical vision it offers of the interaction between classical, jazz, and every other music.
