Diotima Quartet

Χωρίς Τίτλο


The fascinating one-movement String Quartet no. 4 by the French composer, Pascal Dusapin (b.1955), opens the programme of the Quatuor Diotima ensemble, in this first concert of this year’s tribute to the string quartet – one of the most important forms of chamber music. The String Quartet no. 2 by the Czech composer, Leoš Janáček (1854-1928), is marked by a series of sudden stylistic changes. The work’s autobiographical content is reflected in its title: “Listy důvěrné” [Intimate Letters]. All four movements (Vivace – Marcia – Burletta – Molto tranquillo) of Béla Bartόk’s (1881-1945) sixth and final string quartet are marked mesto [sadly]. A slow melody serving as a relatively brief introduction to the first movement is gradually developed over the two middle sections and dominates the fourth. The composer set out to give the work a spirited dance-like finale, but rewrote it after his mother’s death as a deeply sad elegy. [Ι.Μ.Τ.]