The French Quatuor Van Kuijk is creating a furor, including at the String Quartet Biennale. The men present a choice of their own, an intriguing dialogue between musical ideas. Kabalevsky’s Second String Quartet is rarely heard live. The intense rhythms and agile nature of this piece give the music a contemporary flair. That rhythmic sparkle can also be heard in Mendelssohn’s Sixth String Quartet, embedded in a more refined note pattern. It is right up the Van Kuijks’ street, Mendelssohn: they recorded all his quartets in a grandiose manner.

In the Selected by series, contrasts and connections resound; the musical language of different composers scrapes past each other or fits together wonderfully. In one hour, you will hear the string quartet repertoire across the board: all times, styles, sounds and colors.