Quatuor Ardeo

Since time immemorial, Love has been one of the greatest sources of inspiration.

Stemming from the mystical visions of Hildegard von Bingen, these Antiphons — originally 12th-century liturgical chants — were hymns to divine love, in which every note was an offering to the heavenly light. Arranged by Marianne Pfau, they are transformed, for string quartet, into songs of pure love: a dialogue between the soul and the divine, in which the strings weave a melody as gentle as it is passionate, like a vow of endless love.

Janáček came from a village in north-eastern Moravia, nestled amongst hills and forests where the inhabitants had to work hard on poor soil to earn their daily bread. The vibrant and authentic character of this natural landscape is reflected in the very being and culture of its inhabitants. Janáček remained faithful to the traditional music of his native region throughout his compositions. His Second String Quartet, written at the very end of his life, is an illustration of ‘Intimate Letters’ to his very young mistress, Kamila Stöslová.

The composer uses the viola d’amore to embody the voice of his muse. Fascinated by this instrument’s distinctive, silvery timbre—created by the effect of sympathetic vibrations—he chose to have the viola part of his quartet played on the viola d’amore. We have chosen to perform this version to honour the composer’s vision.

During his honeymoon in 1837, Mendelssohn composed the string quartet in E minor, the first of the three quartets, although it was published as ‘No. 2’. 

It is perhaps the most dramatic of the three quartets in Opus 44, with a sense of urgency that it shares with his final quartet, in Mendelssohn’s favourite key, E minor. Amidst the turmoil, the first violin’s theme is imbued with a certain melancholy. Its form and syncopated accompaniment bear a strong resemblance to the opening of the violin concerto that Mendelssohn wrote in the same key (and for the same violinist, Ferdinand David) the following year. (Joelle Martinez)

VON BINGEN
Three Antiphons for string quartet (arr. Marianne Pfau)

MENDELSSOHN
op 44 nº2

- Intermission -

JANACEK
Lettres intimes (version with viola d'amore)