NOVO Quartet
AP392 - 1CD - 65 - Oct 31, 2025
NOVO Quartet explores its beginnings in Track 1 with Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 8, Matias Vestergaard’s HJERTEBLAD, and Nielsen’s First Quartet. The pieces trace their journey from classical to contemporary repertoire. Through intense and harmonious playing, they bring each work to life with a single, unified voice.
NOVO Quartet – like novo, “new.” The name reflects the curiosity and spirit of discovery that has already carried these four musicians, trained by Tim Frederiksen, to the podiums of the Geneva and Carl Nielsen competitions. Their debut album, Track 1, returns to their roots: Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 8, the very first piece they studied together; HJERTEBLAD (literally “heart-leaf,” the seed’s first leaf) by Matias Vestergaard, which opened the door to contemporary repertoire; and Carl Nielsen’s First Quartet, a tribute to the “great Danish hero” and the starting point of an upcoming complete cycle.
Track 1 is therefore a tale of beginnings – above all, NOVO’s own, instantly establishing them as one of the most arresting ensembles of their generation. Through intense playing, flawless balance, and total commitment – and, above all, the magic unique to great quartets, where four distinct personalities merge into a single voice and let the music speak in its purest form.
DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH
String Quartet no. 8 in C minor op. 110
1. I. Largo
2. II. Allegro molto
3. III. Allegretto
4. IV. Largo
5. V. Largo
MATIAS VESTERG.RD
Hjerteblad*
6. I. Spirelag Nocturne
7. II. Time-Lapse
8. III. Løvfald / Formulde
CARL NIELSEN
String Quartet no. 1 in G minor op. 13
9. I. Allegro energico
10. II. Andante amoroso
11. III. Scherzo. Allegro molto
12. IV. Finale. Allegro
