Judge de Vroe: TETRAДb IV / Shibuya Movements / Euphoria

The works of violinist and composer Nicolaus Richter de Vroe (*1955) have been and continue to be performed regularly by the most renowned organizers and festivals of new music. Richter de Vroe was trained in Dresden and Moscow, was later a member of the Staatskapelle Berlin, and in 1982 founded the Ensemble für Neue Musik Berlin (East), which quickly developed into an important forum for advanced music in the GDR. In 1988, he became a member of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra; a year later, he founded XSEMBLE Munich – an ensemble characterized by its experimental programming and stylistic openness. Richter de Vroe’s composition "TETRAДb IV" for four soloists and orchestra was created in 2002 as a commission from the *musica viva* series of the Bavarian Radio. The world premiere recorded on this album, performed by Isao Nakamura (percussion), Irvine Arditti (violin), Mike Svoboda (trombone), and Isabeella Beumer (voice) along with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Peter Rundel, took place on November 15, 2002, in the Herkulessaal of the Munich Residenz. Although four soloists are added to the large orchestral line-up, the work is neither a concerto nor a concerto grosso. The solo parts possess such distinct individualities and appear one after another; each defines a longer section of the work with their specific diction, and only towards the end are they heard together. The vocalist's solo is based on a poem by the experimental Russian poet Daniil Kharms. "Shibuya Movements for Orchestra" was also commissioned by *musica viva* in 1991/92. This album features the recording of the world premiere from May 15, 1992, conducted by Cristóbal Halffter. "Euforia for Orchestra" was written in 2009, and its world premiere took place that same year under the direction of Mariss Jansons.