Quatuor Alfama

‘A quartet is like crew members choosing each other to cross the Atlantic on a frail skiff’.

One evening when she is feeling sad, little Ariane takes refuge at the bottom of the garden, in the cherry tree where she has built herself a hut. Night falls, and under the branches that protect and cradle her, she falls asleep. What is Ariane dreaming about? Stories of the quartet, that strange family where two small, a medium and a large weave their sixteen strings into the fabric of the musical dreams of the greatest composers. From one meeting to the next, amidst the hard work, arguments, stage fright and giggles of this turbulent and inspired sibling group, we meet all the masters who have given the genre its masterpieces: Papa Haydn, who only needs four bows to make the sun rise; his protégé and friend Mozart; Beethoven, who breaks his toy only to rebuild it; Schubert, who confides his most intimate secrets to the quartet; Debussy and Ravel, who take the quartet to more exotic lands... all the way to the composers of the 20th century. ... right up to today's composers, who continue the great dream of chamber music!

In this fine, delicate and playful show, everyone, young and old, can discover this essential musical group, and embark with these four ‘crew members who choose each other to cross the Atlantic on a frail skiff’.

This is the first time that a children's show telling the story of the quartet has been staged, and it will allow children aged 4 to 10 to plunge into the fascinating, intimate world of what is undoubtedly the most prodigious and mysterious group in the history of music.