Quatuor Van Kuijk

Thursday, March 21, 2024 7:30 PM Weill Recital Hall

Quatuor Van Kuijk by Svend Andersen

France’s Quatuor Van Kuijk is one of the world’s fastest-rising string quartets. In its Carnegie Hall debut, the ensemble performs Beethoven’s favorite string quartet: Op. 131. Brimming with confidence and innovations both formal and technical, this astonishingly original late work represents a high point of the art form. Another quintessential string quartet closes the program, as the ensemble members showcase why their ongoing Felix Mendelssohn survey was included in Gramophone’s Best Classical Music Albums of 2022. Between these formidable quartets, they perform short pieces by Fauré, Satie, and Debussy, each paired with a complementary selection from a new work by jazz pianist-composer Baptiste Trotignon.

View Seating Chart (PDF)

Performers

Quatuor Van Kuijk
- Nicolas Van Kuijk, Violin
- Sylvain Favre-Bulle, Violin
- Emmanuel François, Viola
- Anthony Kondo, Cello

Program

BEETHOVEN String Quartet in C-sharp Minor, Op. 131

FAURÉ "Après un rêve," Op. 7, No. 1 (arr. Gildas Guillon)

BAPTISTE TROTIGNON "Gabriel" from Ces messieurs (US Premiere)

SATIE "Je te veux" (arr. Gildas Guillon)

BAPTISTE TROTIGNON "Erik" from Ces messieurs (US Premiere)

DEBUSSY "Beau soir" (arr. Gildas Guillon)

BAPTISTE TROTIGNON "Claude" from Ces messieurs (US Premiere)

FELIX MENDELSSOHN String Quartet in F Minor, Op. 80

Event Duration

The printed program will last approximately two hours, including one 20-minute intermission. Please note that there will be no late seating before intermission.

View Program Notes

Salon Encores

Join us for a free drink at a post-concert reception in Weill Recital Hall’s Jacobs Room.
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At a Glance

Beethoven considered Op. 131 the greatest of his 16 string quartets. Although much has been written about its unconventional seven-part structure and abstruse tonal relationships, the robust lyricism and emotional intensity of the music have never failed to draw listeners into its unforgettable sound world.

On a lighter note, a selection of French mélodies ranges from quartet arrangements of turn-of-the-last-century art and cabaret songs to movements from a new suite by pianist-composer Baptiste Trotignon. “Queen of chamber music for several centuries,” Trotignon writes, “the string quartet offers an infinite field of exploration, ranging from sophisticated and complex compositions to more free-form writings. A daunting challenge for me, but always an aesthetically thrilling adventure.”

Unlike many of his contemporaries, Felix Mendelssohn seldom used music as a vehicle for expressing his innermost feelings. But the death of his sister Fanny in May 1847—less than six months before his own demise—seems to have compelled a musical response. Mendelssohn sublimated his grief in the powerful F-Minor Quartet, his last and arguably greatest piece of chamber music.

Bios