Jethro Tull The String Quartets is an album of classic Jethro Tull songs by Ian Anderson, arranged for classical string quartet to be released on 24th March 2017 by BMG.
Former Jethro Tull members Anderson and keyboard player John O’Hara had been discussing the prospect of a specially conceived album of such material, and when they saw The Carducci Quartet at the London Symphony Orchestra’s LSO St Luke’s they were so impressed Anderson invited them to take part in the recording.
An Anglo-Irish group, The Carducci Quartet have won numerous international competitions, including the Concert Artists Guild International Competition 2007 and Finland’s Kuhmo International Chamber Music Competition as well as appearing internationally. They feature Matthew Denton, Michelle Fleming, Eoin Schmidt-Martin on violin and Emma Denton on cello.
“John and I have worked on various orchestrations and performed many orchestral concerts over the last fifteen years,” said Anderson, “So, a couple of years ago, I came up with the idea of recording a dedicated string quartet album in a contemporary but classical setting with brief appearances from myself. I felt that there were some songs rather special to me which featured the string quartet such as ‘A Christmas Song’, ‘Reasons For Waiting’ and ‘Wond’ring Aloud’. These were my first experiences of working with a quartet. John came up with a few suggestions of his own which presented challenges. All had an intimacy and presence which I looked forward to recapturing in the cosy and very personal space of my office desk where I did the overdubs.”
“There seemed little point in transcribing the band parts and distributing them to the players. I felt a responsibility to delve deeper and offer a new imagining of each piece, O’Hara explained. “An orchestrator’s job is to arrange and compose a new version of an existing work. However, I also felt a responsibility to the Jethro Tull listeners who cherish this material and may not welcome a radical rendition of a beloved song. My ambition was to create a thought-provoking album that remains true to Ian’s compositions.”
“It has really been a lot of fun to work on this project, Anderson declared. “The Carducci Quartet provided a spirited and committed performance, without which all would have been futile. And, I only had to pay for lunch once as they brought sandwiches. Bless.”
Ian Anderson discusses the making of Jethro Tull The String Quartets more on a Youtube you can view below.
‘Pass The Bottle (A Christmas Song)’ is now out as a single. It will be an instant grat track with album pre-orders and can be downloaded. It’s available on streaming platforms including Spotify and Apple Music now. There is also a Pledge Music campaign where fans can pre-order product, purchase signed CDs and Vinyl LPs by clicking here. Jethro Tull The String Quartets will be available on CD and gatefold vinyl as well as Mp3/M4A and uncompressed hi-definition 24/96 WAV files.
The album was recorded in the crypt of Worcester Cathedral and in St Kenelm’s Church, Sapperton, Gloucestershire. All of the tracks were performed by The Carducci Quartet, with additional performances by Ian Anderson on vocals, flute, mandolin and guitar and John O’Hara on piano and celeste.
‘Pass The Bottle (A Christmas Song)’ is now out as a single. It will be an instant grat track with album pre-orders and can be downloaded. It’s available on streaming platforms including Spotify and Apple Music now.
There is also a Pledge Music campaign where fans can pre-order product, purchase signed CDs and Vinyl LPs by clicking here. Jethro Tull The String Quartets will be available on CD and gatefold vinyl as well as Mp3/M4A and uncompressed hi-definition 24/96 WAV files.
