The "reinventions" heard here embody the final project of the Italian composer Stefano Scodanibbio (1956-2012). These are innovative string quartet arrangements: three Contrapuncti from Bach's Art of Fugue are interwoven with popular Mexican chants and Spanish guitar music to create a compelling whole. In the liner notes, Irvine Arditti emphasizes: "What is fascinating about these arrangements is that they are indeed 'reinventions,' as Stefano incorporates his own distinctive compositional style with overtones, so that they unmistakably bear his signature." A virtuoso bassist, performer, and improviser, Scodanibbio possessed extraordinary skills that shaped his string works—compositions by an artist who transcended the boundaries of the "conventional" avant-garde.
