In 1918, Bartók dedicated his Second String Quartet to the Waldbauer-Kerpely Quartet, the young ensemble that had premiered his First String Quartet eight years earlier. World War I made Bartók’s musicological fieldwork impossible, but it also influenced his style. While the First String Quartet still resonated with post-Romantic influences of Reger and Wagner, the Second is fully modernist – Bartók’s entire oeuvre can already be recognized here.

The String Quartet Biennale is pulling out all the stops with Bartók. His six string quartets will be performed in one afternoon by three world-renowned quartets: the Belcea Quartet, the Doric String Quartet, and the Jerusalem Quartet. Speaker Bas van Putten and Rebecca Wise, cellist of the Ragazze Quartet, delve into the composer’s life and, together with the musicians, offer a glimpse into the workings of this extraordinary oeuvre.