Concert 23 augustus 2025 11:00
's-Graveland, NL
The Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky wrote a series of twelve character pieces for piano, in which each month of the year is musically portrayed, based on texts by, among others, Pushkin and Fet. The Dudok Quartet has arranged some of these works.
In his string quartets as well, Tchaikovsky is not far from the feelings of ecstasy, as well as the melancholy inspired by nature and beauty.
The first string quartet in D major captures the infectiousness of spring. The popular second movement is based on a folksong that the composer heard from his sister Aleksandra's family, at the Davidoff's house in Kamenka in Ukraine, whistled by a house painter.
Joseph Haydn is surprisingly natural in this context. In the movements from his Seven Last Words, there is no creed dogma, but an almost tangible silence, interspersed with the rough jolts of an earthquake. Haydn reveals himself here as a composer of landscapes — not in glistening descriptions, but in moods and contrasts. The Dudoks know how to let such music breathe: without embellishments, but with a keen ear for what lives beneath the notes.
Program:
J. Haydn (1732-1809)
From The Seven Last Words of Our Savior on the Cross:
Introduzione
P.I. Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
from The Seasons Op. 37a:
- September
- October
J. Haydn
From The Seven Last Words of Our Savior on the Cross:
- Consumatum est
- Il Terremoto
P.I. Tchaikovsky
String Quartet No. 1 in D major Op. 11
Concert 27 augustus 2025 20:30 - 27 september 2025
Sint Barbaraplein
On Wednesday, August 27, 2025, the next edition of The Fourth Image will take place, a special outdoor event in Oss. This year, the meeting between pop and classical music is central under the theme Pop Meets Classic. Visitors will enjoy performances in the open air, with a diverse program in which various music styles come together.
Among others, the stage will feature the Dokwerk Saxophone Quartet, trumpeter Angelo Verploegen with guitarist Ed Verhoef, the musical duo Clean Pete, and the band The Dutch Queen. Each performance offers a surprising mix of pop, classical, and everything in between. The setting of the sculpture garden provides a cozy atmosphere that perfectly complements this musical afternoon.
The Fourth Image is free of charge and offers an accessible cultural experience for music lovers of all ages.
Concert 31 augustus 2025 11:30
Bomenmuseum, Utrecht
The Dudok Quartet Amsterdam is putting itself on the map as one of the most creative and versatile quartets of its generation. With the mission "sharing the heart of music," the Dudok Quartet puts together unique and eclectic programs, reaching its audience in new and innovative ways. The quartet is constantly seeking new connections and cross-references within music, in a repertoire that ranges from Ligeti, Shostakovich, and Weinberg to Mendelssohn, Mozart, and Beethoven. With this intelligent approach and daring programming style, they also regularly perform their own arrangements for string quartet, including works by Gesualdo, Desprez, Shostakovich, Brahms, and Messiaen. The quartet regularly commissions compositions and has collaborated with composers such as Joey Roukens, Max Knigge, Theo Loevendie, and Peter Vigh. In 2024, the world premiere of a new string quartet by the British-Lebanese composer Bushra El-Turk is planned. Collaborations with other musicians form an important part of the quartet's programming. The Dudoks have shared the stage with Pieter Wispelwey, Hannes Minnaar, Olga Pashchenko, Lilli Maijala, Erik Bosgraaf, and Annelien van Wauwe.
Concert 1 september 2025 10:00
Museum Voorlinden
Classical music with bluesy harmonies and unusual rhythms, followed by symphonic grandeur and intimate chamber music; the string players of the Fontana Quartet, along with pianist Michel Xie, will perform a piano quintet by Johannes Brahms and one by Florence Price.
Concert 10 september 2025 10:30
Artzuid, Amsterdam
Celebratory music walk along sculptures by ARTZUID with festival musicians from this new edition of Muze van Zuid. Tasting live music from the festival Indonesian procession music. Amsterdam folk songs from the Middle Ages. Sephardic music for voice and saxophones. Kate Moore's Garden of Thornless Roses (2025) premiere.
Performances by:
Ensemble Multifoon
Sibil•la Ensemble
Maat Saxophone Quartet
Herz Ensemble
Huib Ramaer, guide
Concert 12 september 2025 20:00
Brugkerk, Waddinxveen
The Viride Quartet consists of violinists Salomé Bonnema and Nadia ten Kate, violist Sedna Heitzman and cellist Jurre Koopmans. The members became friends at a young age during their time at the School Voor Jong Talent of the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, and started playing quartets intensively there during their high school years in 2017. Afterward, all four of them moved on to the bachelor's program at the same conservatory.
The quartet has participated in several international festivals and courses such as the Orlando Festival, Zeister Muziekdagen, Festival Jong Talent in Schiermonnikoog, Crans Montana Classics (Switzerland), Seminario Internacional Ciudad de Guadix (Spain), and Festival Residart (Italy). They are also frequently involved in Musethica projects under the direction of, among others, Avri Levitan.
The Viride Quartet has been featured several times on national television (for example, in the television program Podium Witteman), and their concerts have been broadcast live on NPO Radio 4 (evening concerts and performances during the program Spiegelzaal). They have also been able to perform concerts in various famous venues, such as the Royal Concertgebouw and the Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ in Amsterdam, TivoliVredenburg in Utrecht, De Doelen in Rotterdam, Concertgebouw de Vereeniging in Nijmegen, Muziekgebouw Eindhoven, and many other locations.
Program:
Mozart, String Quartet no. 14 in G major KV 387
Britten, three Divertimenti for String Quartet
Bartòk, String Quartet no. 1 in A minor
Concert 14 september 2025 11:00
Musis & Stadstheater Arnhem
The Viride Quartet is still 'very young' by quartet standards (de Volkskrant). The quartet has been in existence since 2017 and has been playing to keep Dutch quartet pride high. Among other things, the quartet is ensemble in residence at the Zeister Muziekdagen and has a full agenda. With string quartets by Mozart and Bartók, the four musicians show in Musis that the great quartet repertoire is a true breeding ground for string players.
Where Mozart mainly refined the art of quartet playing initiated by Haydn, Béla Bartók, with his six string quartets, cut a nearly violent trail of innovation through the twentieth century. New playing techniques, unheard soundscapes, all possibilities are discussed in Bartók's exciting string quartet world. In his First String Quartet, the main focus is on sound beauty and less on experiments, but it remains thrilling.
Program:
Mozart - String Quartet no. 14 KV 387
Bartók - String Quartet no. 1
Concert 14 september 2025 14:30
Theater Hof 88, Almelo
Skazka is the Russian word for fairy tale, and that is exactly what the quartet aims for: telling stories. Since winning the Storioni Competition in 2022, they have made their appearance in the major Dutch concert halls. In 2024, they received the String Quartet Stipendium from the Kersjes Fund, one of the Netherlands' most important funds for young musicians.
Masterclass 18 september 2025 10:00 - 13:00
Amare, KC Studio
In collaboration with the Royal Conservatory, Festival Klassiek achter de Duinen organizes a public masterclass. Two chamber music ensembles of conservatory students are coached by Marc Danel. He is a violinist and artistic director of the Dutch String Quartet Academy (NSKA), professor of violin at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Lyon (CNSMD) and the IMEP in Namur. During the festival, he will be performing at the Opening Concert.
Concert 19 september 2025 20:00
Goede Rede, Almere
The Belinfante Quartet is Artist in Residence 2025 at Goede Rede Concerts! Throughout the year, we will be working together on a diverse program, in which the quartet explores the possibilities of our stage in an innovative way.
In 2019, we first met the Belinfante Quartet: a young ensemble with a lot of quality and ambition. They stood out for their interpretation of the string quartet core repertoire and managed to surprise with their lively performances of works by lesser-known composers. Since then, they have evolved into a highly acclaimed quartet, praised for their engaging and innovative performances.
Their debut CD 'Ellipse' (2022) was praised by the NRC with words such as: "Glowing ensemble play and experimental spirit." During their residency, they will build on this, with their own arrangements and surprising theatrical additions such as poetry and film.
Concert 20 september 2025 13:30
West, Den Haag
From Dvořák to Korngold and Schönberg: one by one they left their homeland in search of a new artistic home. In America, they found inspiration, freedom, and a stage - and laid the foundation for American music as we know it today. Their roots, traditions, and homesickness echoed in their compositions and made America swing, move, and innovate.
But what remains of that American Dream? How should we relate to the United States now? Perhaps we will find answers in music. Like in Schönberg's Ode to Napoleon, written after he fled Nazi Germany. With this anti-fascist accusation, he placed Napoleon in a historical perspective - a mirror for the political leaders of his time. And perhaps for ours too.
This concert takes place in an appropriate setting: the former American Embassy on the Lange Voorhout, designed by Marcel Breuer, a Hungarian immigrant who left his mark on American architecture.
Program:
Antonín Dvořák - selection from Biblical Songs
Margaret Bonds - From Spiritual Suite: Troubled Water
Erich Wolfgang Korngold - From String Quartet No. 3 in D major: movement 3, Sostenuto, like a folk tune
Jessie Montgomery - Source Code for string quartet
Arnold Schönberg - Ode to Napoleon Buonaparte, op. 41
Performers:
Barbara Kozelj, mezzo-soprano
Ralph van Raat, piano
Tobias Borsboom, piano
Otilka Quartet
Concert 20 september 2025 20:00
Kerkbrink 1, Ermelo
With a fresh perspective, the musicians of the ADAM Quartet let their own light shine on the genre of string quartet. But they remain true to its essence. With boldness and enthusiasm, 'ADAM' made a successful debut on major Dutch stages such as the Concertgebouw and Tivoli Vredenburg.
Exquisite Corpse is their debut album. It consists of separate parts connected by one red thread. By combining traditional repertoire and new compositions, the pieces take on a new, unexpected meaning. Composer Ellis Ludwig-Leone wrote his piece 'Exquisite Corpse' specifically for the ADAM Quartet. Ludwig van Beethoven's 'Cavatina' forms the heart of their 'Exquisite Corpse'. Maurice Ravel completed his beautiful string quartet full of atmosphere, sound, and color at the age of 28. It is both exciting and a feast for the soul.
Program:
Ellis Ludwig-Leone: Exquisite Corpse
Ludwig van Beethoven: Cavatina from String Quartet No. 13, Op. 130
John Adams: Toot Nipple
Aleksandra Vrebalov: My Desert, My Rose
Johann Sebastian Bach: Aus meines Herzens Grunde
Maurice Ravel: String Quartet in F Major
Keizersgracht 241
1016 EA Amsterdam
info@nska.nl
