Bennewitz Quartet / »Intimate Letters«
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The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung proclaimed that »... the dramatisation of Beethoven was remarkable, not just for its clarity of structure, but for the beautiful tonal palette and purity of intonation in its execution«. The young Czech ensemble that won the Premio Paolo Borciani competition is now regarded as one of the finest chamber music ensembles.
The Bennewitz Quartet has selected two highly expressive and dramatic works in Leoš Janáček’s first two string quartets. Janáček composed the string quartet »Intimate Letters« a few months before his death; it became an acknowledgement of his infatuation with Kamila Stösslová who was considerably younger. »Our life is going to be in this piece. It is my first composition that sprang directly from things remembered; this piece was written in fire,« wrote Janáček in 1928.
In addition to these popular works of quartet literature, the programme is complemented by Antonín Dvořák’s much-loved Quartet in E major, and a piece by the young Czech composer Slavomír Hořínka. In the »Songs of Immigrants«, Hořínka takes a critical look at the refugee drama on the Italian island of Lampedusa.
Performers
Bennewitz Quartet
Jakub Fišer violin
Štěpán Ježek violin
Jiří Pinkas viola
Štěpán Doležal violoncello
Programme
Leoš Janáček
Streichquartett Nr. 2 »Intime Briefe«
Slavomír Hořínka
Songs of Immigrants
– Interval –
Antonín Dvořák
Streichquartett Nr. 10 Es-Dur op. 51
Leoš Janáček
Streichquartett Nr. 1 »Kreutzer-Sonate«
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