Spitfire Audio has announced the release of Sacconi Strings – Quartet, a new Kontakt instrument library featuring purpose built tools for writing for string quartets performed by an award winning and sought after British group in arguably the best chamber acoustic in the world.
When you convince, cajole and caress the proprietors of one of the most favoured chamber music venues in the world to open their doors to a sampling project and they say “yes you can have it for one day in August” what do you do? You wait. You wait for that day to come and you plan and you put together a crack team of engineers and you prepare your band and you get as much as you can. And then you wait, you wait until that day comes around the next August, you repeat the operation…. and then you wait, you wait until the next August!
Sacconi strings is a four year long project to create a definitive set of writing-for-quartet tools, a game changing set of solo strings recorded at Wigmore Hall and performed by one of the most talked about young quartets to be formed in London for many years.
When writing for quartets composers naturally have to settle with using solo strings VIs to mockup their intentions. The difficulty here is they tend to be very ‘neck up’ soloistic and when combined into a foursome can be jarringly expressive and difficult to sell to clients.
Spitfire’s Christian Henson has worked with Sacconi for many years and thanks them for helping him understand what works for a quartet and what makes a quartet gel. Christian took this relationship alongside the searing talents and understanding of virtuality of Andy Blaney into the Wigmore to commit a very different approach to sampling to the digital sphere. Combining modern techniques and exploratory approaches to vibrato alongside stunning traditional articulations blooming this extraordinary acoustic Sacconi has been everyone’s pet project at Spitfire.
Quartet for Kontakt (full version) is available for purchase for the introductory price of £349 GBP until June 23rd, 2016 (regular £399 GBP).
When Quartet returns to full price, ‘ensembles’ content and updated and improved 1st violin and cellos will be added. These will be available to existing Quartet users as a free update. Existing 1st Violin and/or Cello owners can upgrade at a discounted price.
More information: Spitfire Audio / Sacconi Strings – Quartet
