The Canadian Guitar Quartet (CGQ) presents their new album Empty Houses on ATMA Classique.

Over their 26 year career, the CGQ has remained committed to its core mission: chamber music at its highest level, presenting a robust mix of classical masterworks in clever new arrangements alongside bold original works for guitar quartet - most often penned by past and present members of the ensemble.

The Canadian Guitar Quartet's mission is reflected in Empty Houses, an album bringing together transcriptions of works by Johann Sebastian Bach and Mozart, a contemporary work by Olga Amelkina-Vera and two works by former group members: Empty Houses by Renaud Côté-Giguère, and Prologue, fougue et allegro trépidant by CGQ founding member Patrick Roux.

To wrap up the album, Louis Trépanier, a founding member still involved with the ensemble, takes us into the rhythms of bossa nova with Areias brancas, Orfeu negro (White Sands, Black Orpheus), featuring famous themes from the movie soundtrack for Orfeu Negro.

Since its debut in 1999, the Canadian Guitar Quartet has performed on three continents, going from one standing ovation to the next, and established a reputation as one of the finest guitar ensembles in the world.