Béla Bartók

Between 1909 and 1939, Hungarian composer Béla Bartók wrote six phenomenal string quartets which did not just lay bare his soul, but also gave Hungary its place in European musical history.

On this thematic day, you can discover these six masterpieces in two concerts. Bartók will take you on a journey to the last echoes of Romanticism, the timeless allure of folklore and the vivid desire for refreshing Modernism.

The Meccore * and Bennewitz ** quartets alternate in performing the six pieces in chronological order. Lise Bruyneel will provide some explanation by means of six short film introductions, one for each piece.

• Béla Bartók concert 11.00 h

Strijkkwartet Nr. 1 - Meccore Quartet

Strijkkwartet Nr. 2 - Bennewitz Quartet

Strijkkwartet Nr. 3- Bennewitz Quartet

• Béla Bartók concert 14.30 h

Strijkkwartet Nr. 4* - Meccore Quartet

Strijkkwartet Nr. 5* - Meccore Quartet

Strijkkwartet Nr. 6**- Bennewitz Quartet

A couple of years ago, the Polish Meccore Quartet moved the audience with a transparent yet driven interpretation of string quartets by Debussy and Szymanowski. In addition, the subtle purity of their interplay was breathtaking.

Bennewitz Quartet will visit Leuven for the first time. Over the past few years, their performances of Czech string quartets had a lot of success, and now they have set their sights on Béla Bartók. If they approach his work with the same passion and precision, they will doubtlessly make the sparks fly.

Lise Bruyneel, who created the wonderful videos for last year’s thematic day centred around Shostakovich and Britten, will once again provide the necessary context this year.

More info

www.meccorequartet.com
www.bennewitzquartet.com

Meccore Quartet: Wojciech Koprowski (violin), Aleksandra Bryła (violin), Michał Bryła (viola) and Marcin Maczyński (cello) photo Arkadiusz Berbecki

Bennewitz Quartet: Jakub Fišer (violin), Štěpan Ježek (violin), Jiří Pinkas (viola) en Štěpan Doležal (cello) photo Pavel Ovsík