Tones Chris Gendall feat. New Zealand String Quartet

• Chris Gendall:
• 1Dulcet Tones08:33
• Suite:
• 2Suite: 1. Canto04:06
• 3Suite: 2. Sorrevole03:58
• 4Suite: 3. Tango06:14
• 5Suite: 4. Bagatelle02:36
• Friends of Distinction:
• 6Friends of Distinction: 1. German Monoliths (48kHz)04:02
• 7Friends of Distinction: 2. Souvenir (48kHz)02:20
• 8Friends of Distinction: 3. Fades (48kHz)05:23
• Chris Gendall:
• 9Inward Goes07:21
• 10Going Like Mad05:55
• Total Runtime50:28

Info for Tones

This album of contemporary chamber music by the award-winning composer Chris Gendall (a graduate of Victoria Uni, doctoral degree from Cornell, more recently Mozart Fellow at Otago Uni) is firmly for those curious about new music and interesting arts.

These works span 10 years of compositional output, and explore wide expressive terrain: from epic to compact, aggressive to introspective, earthy to mechanical. Their elastic rhythm, harmonic fluidity, and formal spontaneity make for dynamic – and often-demanding – listening and performing experiences. It’s particularly special to hear these works performed with such verve, and mostly by the performers for whom they were written. These players, along with tonmeister Steve Garden, have given this album its sense of focus, sound, character, and quality. (Chris Gendall)

Chris Gendall and Rattle Records gratefully thank Creative New Zealand for its support of this project. Thanks also to the University of Auckland School of Music, the New Zealand School of Music, the University of Otago, Vanessa Zigliani, Sarah Chesney, Christine Argyle, Stephen de Pledge, Christopher Marshall, Katherine Dowling, Continuum, and Jordan Keyzer.


Chris Gendall studied composition at Victoria University of Wellington before completing a doctoral degree at Cornell University with Roberto Sierra and Steven Stucky. He has participated in a number of festivals including the Wellesley Composers’ Conference, the Royaumont Voix nouvelles Composition Course, the Britten-Pears Contemporary Composition Programme, the Aspen Music Festival, and the Aldeburgh Festival. He was a 2018 Civitella Ranieri Fellow, Mozart Fellow at the University of Otago, and resident composer with Orchestra Wellington and the New Zealand School of Music. He won the 2008 SOUNZ Contemporary Award for his work Wax Lyrical.

Gillian ANSELL, viola
Ashley BROWN, cello
Rolf GJELSTEN, cello
Amalia HALL, violin
Monique LAPINS, violin
Luca MANGHI, flute
Helene POHL, violin
Sarah WATKINS, piano

Engineered by Steve Garden with assistance from John Kim
Produced by Chris Gendall & Kenneth

Chris Gendall
studied composition at Victoria University of Wellington before completing a doctoral degree at Cornell University with Roberto Sierra and Steven Stucky. He has participated in a number of festivals including the Wellesley Composers’ Conference, the Royaumont Voix nouvelles Composition Course, the Britten-Pears Contemporary Composition Programme, the Aspen Music Festival, and the Aldeburgh Festival. He was a 2018 Civitella Ranieri Fellow, Mozart Fellow at the University of Otago, and resident composer with Orchestra Wellington and the New Zealand School of Music. He won the 2008 SOUNZ Contemporary Award for his work Wax Lyrical.

This album contains no booklet.