Extending String Quartet: Iran's rich musical heritage
by Animato Kwartet, Khorshid Dadbeh,
14:15 / Mon. 26 jan / Grote Zaal Muziekgebouw / € 28
2026 Extending String Quartet Mon 26 Jan Première
Animato Kwartet
Inga Våga Gaustad (viool)wds
Tim Brackman (viool)
Elisa Karen Tavenier (altviool)
Pieter De Koe (cello)
Claudio Monteverdi
Sfogava con le stelle
Claudio Monteverdi
Darà la notte il sol
Henri Dutilleux
Ainsi la nuit
Aftab Darvishi
"When the Sky Burns Red" for string quartet and tanbur (world premiere)
Osvaldo Golijov
Tenebrae
The young Dutch Animato Kwartet is making international headlines thanks to the musicians’ inspired playing. This afternoon, together with Khorshid Dadbeh, the quartet performs a brand-new work for string quartet and the ancient string instrument tanbur by Iranian-Dutch composer Aftab Darvishi. The pure harmonies of Monteverdi, Dutilleux’s night music and Golijov’s baroque bass lines frame this newcomer.
The tanbur is a more than a thousand-year-old stringed instrument with deep, historical roots in Iran. The instrument has evolved over the centuries, with variations in design and playing techniques, but it has always remained a symbol of Iran’s rich musical heritage. Iranian soloist Khorshid Dadbeh is open to experimentation and loves to improvise. This makes her the perfect tanbur player for Darvishi’s new work.