Haydn, who is counted as the “inventor” of the string quartet, developed it from the bright, low-brow divertimento into the royal discipline of chamber music, into the very essence of technical mastery and the most concentrated, pure musical statement. Without Haydn there would be no string quartet - and without string quartets, there would be no festival.Esterházy. Four times four excellent young musicians from around the world, including the winner of the string quartet competition at London’s Wigmore Hall, which was established by the star violinist Yehudi Menuhin, will be guest at Esterházy. Three of them will celebrate their Austrian debut in this musical genre’s ancestral home and make clear with their rich programmes what fascinating and varied musical worlds the string quartet has opened up in the course of the centuries. In addition to classics such as Schubert’s “Death and the Maiden” and Brahms’ passionate Opus 51/2 are the glorious contributions of Debussy and Ravel, as well as enthralling works from Spain, South America, China and the USA -- Samuel Barber's quartet with the famous Adagio, which has provided the music for many films.

Programe

Shanghai Quartet

Franz Schubert: String quartet No. 14 D minor D 810 “Death and the Maiden”
Joaquin Turina: La Oración del Torero for string quartet
Samuel Barber: String quartet op. 11
Bright Sheng: Quartet no. 4 “Silent Temple”

Calder Quartet

Ben Johnston: String quartet no. 4 “Amazing Grace”
Terry Riley: Cadenza on the Night Plain

Maurice Ravel: String quartet in F Major

Cuarteto Latinoamericano

Johannes Brahms: String quartet op. 51 No. 2 in A minor
Claude Debussy: String quartet
in G Minor
Héitor Villa-Lobos: String quartet No. 5
Alberto Ginastera: String quartet No. 2 op. 26

Winner of the String Quartet Competition

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: String Quartet No. 4 in G major, K. 387

Adrian Pop: 8 Bagatelles for String Quartet  

Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy: String Quartet No. 2 Op. 13