Zephyr Quartet: Epilogue
Navona Records

Like any renowned ensemble, Zephyr Quartet distinguishes itself through high-calibre performances and choice of material. The Australian string quartet's latest release, Epilogue, comes with a twist, however: all nine of its compositions were written by group members Belinda Gehlert (violin), Emily Tulloch (violin), Jason Thomas (viola), and Hilary Kleinig (cello). And not only are the pieces they've written thoroughly engaging and accessible, they're so melodically rich and concisely delivered, they more resemble effervescent pop songs than sober classical works. As a result, Epilogue goes down as smoothly as any string quartet release conceivably could.

Don't think for a moment that such a characterization equates with music of lesser substance. The award-winning quartet's material possesses all the sophistication and depth one expects from classical composition, each setting a satisfying statement of distinct mood and character. Adding to the balance achieved in the members' playing, the compositions are evenly split between the four, such distribution speaking to the democratic nature of the quartet.

Its pieces written between 2013 and 2019 and recorded last year at Wizard Tone Studios in Adelaide, Australia, Epilogue encompasses a broad range, despite being wholly instrumental. Kleinig's Great White Bird, for example, conjures pre-European settlement times in Australia and pays tribute to its first people and their stories, whereas Gehlert conceived the movements of Femme Fatale with figures such as Anne Boleyn and Hedda Gabler in mind. Other pieces draw for inspiration from Australian Cockatoos, Iraqi poet Yahia Al-Samawy, German novelist Hermann Hesse, and South Australian poet Syd Harrex.

A plaintive folk quality infuses Great White Bird to render Kleinig's material even more engaging, the strings even swooping to suggest the graceful arc of the creature's flight. Her Cockatoos exudes an ecstatic, celebratory air in keeping with the character of the titular birds. Exquisite Peace, by comparison, nurtures a delicate, meditative mood to express gratitude for the fragile wonders that surround us. A corresponding sense of appreciation is conveyed by Thomas's eloquent meditation Time's Timeless, wherein tones swell rapturously when not blending serenely or engaging in dialogue-like counterpoint.

Gehlert's Femme Fatale contrasts the formal stateliness of the regal Anne Boleyn movement with the mournfulness of Hedda Gabler's, where the essence of Ibsen's tragic protagonist is distilled into a moving four-minute portrait. Gehlert's Epilogue is suitably elegiac given the poem that inspired it, Al-Samawy's “An Epitaph of Words' Tears,” and captivating too is Tulloch's Our Lovely Star, where a phrase from a Hesse story becomes a springboard for a small-scale exercise in lilting beauty.

Despite the fact that the album material originated from four different writers, a remarkable degree of homogeneity is achieved, the outcome clearly reflecting a common sensibility and strong connection between the quartet members. One comes away from Epilogue as impressed by their talents as composers as performers, and in particular each musician's gift for crafting melodies of immense potency and allure.

April 2020