Impressions Parisiennes

Programme:
Baptiste Trotignon: Ces Messieurs Francis / Gabriel / Maurice
Francis Poulenc: C. FP 122/1, Fêtes galantes FP 122/2, Fancy FP 174 and Les chemins de l’amour FP 106-Ia
Gabriel Fauré: Après un rêve Op. 7/1, Mandoline Op. 58/1
Maurice Ravel: Pavane pour une infante défunte
Ludwig van Beethoven: String Quartett No. 8 in E minor Op. 59/2 (»2nd Rasumowsky-Quartet«)

Founded in Paris in 2012 and named after its first violinist, the Quatuor Van Kuijk has long since established itself as one of the world’s top string quartets. The four French musicians can attest to this with the 2nd Razumovsky Quartet, as the bar for musical perfection can hardly be higher than in Beethoven’s string quartets. But the real treat is the French part of the programme. For this, the quartet selected works by Poulenc, Fauré and Ravel composed for piano and voice, which they have rearranged for their four instruments. They have then created a bridge to the present day, by commissioning French Jazz pianist and composer Baptiste Trotignon to write a new work. In »Ces Messieurs«, which premiered in New York’s Carnegie Hall in 2024, Trotignon reflects on the work of the tone poets from the fin de siècle and the first half of the 20th century. These Parisian impressions oscillate between an exuberant joie de vivre and desolate melancholy – a charming tribute to Paris, city of music.

Quatuor Van Kuijk

in cooperation with Landkreis Ammerland