© Lyodoh Kaneko

Founded in Paris in 1996, the Diotima Quartet bases its success on its interpretation of the 20th-century avant-garde, from Schoenberg to Lachenmann, though it often challenges the listener with its blend of classical works. In this complete Bartók cycle, they have reserved the even-numbered quartets for the second day: the 2 º (1915-17) is a singular work due to the contrast between the brutal central scherzo and the introspective lyricism of the outer movements; the 4 º (1928) delves deeper into cyclical and symmetrical ideas, and does so through five movements (with a central slow movement), and an almost violent drama; finally, the 6 º (1939) seems like a summary of the whole cycle, which Bartók wanted to end with the classical form in four movements and a kind of welcoming melancholy (the four movements bear the indication of City, sad).

The Diotima Quartet was founded in 1996 by graduates of the Paris Conservatory. Its name evokes a dual musical identity: Diotima is also an allegory of German Romanticism (Friedrich Hölderlin uses this name for the love of his life in his novel). Hyperion) and a standard-bearer of the music of our time, alluding to Luigi Nono and his work Fragmente-Stille, an DiotimaThe Quartet has collaborated with some of the greatest composers of the second half of the 20th century, such as Pierre Boulez and Helmut Lachenmann. It also undertakes numerous commissions and receives new works from Toshio Hosokawa, Miroslav Srnka, Alberto Posadas, Mauro Lanza, Gérard Pesson, Rebecca Saunders, Misato Mochizuki, and Tristan Murail. From its perspective on contemporary music, Diotima offers a fresh take on the great works of the 19th and 20th centuries by composers such as Beethoven, Schubert, the Viennese Triad (Schoenberg, Berg, and Webern), as well as Janáček, Debussy, Ravel, and Bartók.

Yun-Peng Zhao, fiddle             

Léo Marillier, fiddle      

Franck Chevalier, viola             

Pierre Morletcello        

program:

Béla Bartók (1881-1945)

Complete Quartets II

String Quartet No. 2, Op. 17, Sz 67

Quartet No. 4 Sz 91

Quartet No. 6 Sz 114

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