Combining the beauty and power of a string quartet with the harmonies and melodies that were the hits of 2017 is a great idea, but does it work? Yes, with the Vitamin String Quartet, or VSQ, which is a series of string quartet projects developed and produced by CMH Label Group, an independent record company based in Los Angeles. The CMH team works with a cast of arrangers, producers, string players and other creatives to bring each project to life. Since beginning in 1999, the series has amassed sales of over 3.8 million downloads and 1 million CDs, while maintaining almost half a million monthly listeners on Spotify. Enjoying Billboard chartings and featured regularly in numerous hit TV shows. The project has now grown to include signature sheet music of the arrangements, video and instructional content, TV appearances, and exclusive live performances. These live performances include a featured performance at The Spotify House at SxSW. Their latest project in the series VSQ Performs the Hits of 2017 Vol. 2. The Vitamin String Quartet transforms these seven popular songs, creating a style that joins the beauty and intensity of classical string quartets with the tunes we all know and love. A must-listen for classical and pop music lovers alike. VSQ’s virtuosic playing and creative arrangements bring the world of contemporary classical music to new heights. That’s the short of it!
Positives:
Excellent balance, intonation and clarity of parts within the quartet. The melodies are played beautifully, and the arrangements build interest and complexity. The ensemble is top-notch as is the orchestration, a win, win here!
Bottom Line:
VSQ has a complete package with their latest endeavor. With exceptional flow of melody, harmony, and rhythm the release leaves a lasting favorable impression. All the playing and orchestration is drop-dead stunning, and so captivating that it is easy to miss the remarkable sophistication and craft that went into their creation and performance of the seven songs, which lends itself to the true mastery of their technical skills, they make it sound easy! The melodies have silky smoothness of timbre when called for, but easily switches to aggressive articulated attack when need. The passages flow within the quartet and in terms of intonation and ensemble balance, these players rank second to none. Another win for the VSQ project, offering an album that is incredibly satisfying. Beautifully engineered and masterfully performed, this release is a real find.