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The Cincinnati Post
It was not only the gripping program that made this
one of the chamber music events of the year. The prize-winning quartet
inhabited the music in an extraordinary way, achieving their expressive
ends through superb individual and corporate means and the most scrupulous
ensemble precision.
The Washington Post
Few chamber groups could have generated such excitement throughout a
modern music program as Antares did Tuesday at the Kennedy Center Terrace
Theater.
The LA Weekly
Another group of similar constitution — Tashi, whose members included
Peter Serkin and Richard Stoltzman — has come and gone, leaving some
impressive footsteps for Antares to follow. If it’s as good as it sounded
at its debut concert at LACMA last week, that shouldn’t be a problem.
The Chicago Tribune
...the youthful chamber group demonstrated powerful virtuosity and
striking, razor-sharp ensemble in a program of mostly 20th Century
works….their stellar technique, enthusiasm, and commitment carried the
day.
On Antares debut album, Eclipse
The Gramophone
The New England-based ensemble have two things going
for them: their instrumentation and a fearlessly irrepressible energy.
Both traits serve them well here. One would be hard pressed to find a
better piece than John Mackey's Breakdown Tango for bursting out of the
starting gate.
"The best thing about this collection is the group itself. Antares have
the gift of making whatever they are playing seem the most important piece
in the world. And as long as they keep playing, I'm tempted to believe
them.
Time Out, New York
Birthed by an intersection of adversity and necessity, the instrumentation
of Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time--clarinet, violin, cello and
piano--has provided a valuable model for a small ensemble that affords
color, flexibility and heft in one tiny package. Antares...invaluable
dedication to living composers has garnered well deserved acclaim.
Eclipse, Antares' debut recording, compiles six scores from the group's
contemporary repertoire. The picturesue, substantial title selection [is]
by George Tsontakis.... The disc opens with John Mackey's Breakdown Tango,
a vivacious calling card.... James Matheson's Buzz swoops and tumbles like
a songbird coasting on a summer breeze. Stefan Freund's Dodecaphunphrolic
might be the cuddliest 12-tone miniature you'll ever encounter. Carter
Pann's unrepentantly songful Antares, which frames four tiny concertos
(one for each member) between two gracious team efforts, closes a
thoroughly winning compilation.
Splendid Magazine
...Antares' stunning musicianship is neither flashy nor condescending.
Eclipse is alive in a way that few albums of any kind are, and any attempt
to hem it within a genre boundary does it a disservice."
"The second movement of the multi-part "Eclipse" will be instantly
accessible to fans of Canadian post-rock, as the agitation of the strings,
woodwind and piano build in intensity to numerous orgasmic highs. As a
special bonus, it culminates with a full-on Rachmaninoff-style chord-heavy
piano assault. Other delights follow, including the playful "Dodecaphunphrolic"
and the amazing, multi-part "Antares" suite. Yeah, they play music they
commissioned that's named after them. Truly bad ass.
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