String quartets are perhaps the most accomplished ensembles in the world of chamber music. Less anonymous than the orchestra musicians, the members of the quartet play nevertheless as "a team", although without any conductor. They travel around the globe to challenge themselves and get international recognition in world class competitions, and in order to give performances in concert. A particular alchemy is produced, and very tight strings are often created between the members...
The documentary The Rolston Sessions tells very well this story of a string quartet that soons become family. You will also discover in this documentary the cream of the young quartets (Dover, Cavatine, Schumann, ...) in interviews and in rehearsal for the Banff International String Quartet Competition, one of the most prestigious competitions in this category.
Also on medici.tv: the greatest quartets in the history (Borodin, Amadeus), as well as younger but already successful quartets (Ebène, Psophos, Artemis, ...). This week, you will also discover two quartets whose names were borrowed from the mythology (Apollon Musagete, Hermès) live from the Louvre auditorium. Finally, we offer you to follow two master classes with Gábor Tákacs-Nagy, former violinist and founding member of the Tákacs Quartet. We see him teach at the Verbier Festival some two works by Brahms and Bartók, in front of young chamber musicians who are clearly inspired by the master...
The greatest composers have written string quartets, since the classical era (when Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart made the genre popular) to our contemporary years when the string quartet adapted to the technological and acoustic evolutions (have a look at Stockhausen's Helicopter String Quartet!) Consequentely, the repertoire for string quartets is the vastest in chamber music, and also one of the most interesting...