The Wall Street Journal: ‘Big Things’ by Icarus Quartet Review: Percussive Powers

The Wall Street Journal
By Allan Kozinn

In its debut recording, the group showcases new scores highlighting the unusual sound of its two-piano, two-percussionist configuration

With the wisdom of hindsight, it makes perfect sense that elegantly balanced chamber ensembles like the string quartet or the woodwind quintet sprouted in the 19th century, and that the 20th century gave us more chaotically varied mixed-timbre groups and the high-energy assertiveness of percussion ensembles. A new recording by the Baltimore-based Icarus Quartet suggests that the 21st century might see a refinement of the mixed-timbre approach, with instruments that typically inhabit distinct sound worlds creating a common language.

Read more here.