New York City, 1896. A man walks into a bar. He sits down, orders a beer, and laughs long and hard at the bartender's newest story. It's a good tale, though too bawdy to repeat at home. The next day he goes into the same bar, gets his beer, and drops his change into a phonograph. He's listening through rubber tubes to a man telling a story similar to the bartender's. Without warning Anthony ...
This second solo CD by the New York-based string quartet called Ethel is made up of twelve short pieces by nine composers. It is one of the most thoroughly entertaining collections I've heard this year. The energetic performances--rhythmically sharp, brave, and altogether involving--match the remarkable creativity of the composers. Just to single out a few: Marcelo Zavros' first piece, "Arrival," ...