Universum

We place in your hands the album universum, which holds our four original string quartets. Each of us has presented in his composition his own vision of the group's sound. They are four different stories, told from four different perspectives.
When we recorded this material we had thirteen years of intensive collaboration behind us. The wealth of experience, of shared moments, of functioning as a single musical organism is reflected in every one of these pieces. Our performing style has matured over more than a decade; we know each other's strengths and weaknesses, we know a great deal about one another. Writing a piece for an ensemble that knows itself so well is without doubt an exceptional experience for any composer.
Yet it should be remembered that each of us is a musical individualist. We have different fascinations and interests. Each of us has his own style of playing his instrument and uses different techniques, which is especially audible in our improvisations. Each of us listens to different performers, and our favourite styles and genres rarely coincide. Our aesthetic preferences vary — sometimes in line with those of the other members of the group, sometimes not at all.
Joining our individual traits into one coherent organism is the challenge we have faced since the band began. That is how our universe of sounds comes into being — one that cannot be filed in any drawer other than the one marked Atom String Quartet.