Quatuor Arcanto

Henry Purcell Fantaisias for strings
Benjamin Britten Quartet n°3 op.94
Ludwig van Beethoven Quartet n°9 in C major (op.59 n°3)

Beethoven builds on the legacy of Haydn and Mozart in his three Opus 59 string quartets dedicated to Count Razumovski, the Russian Ambassador in Vienna. Similarly, Britten did not hesitate to pay homage to his ancestor, Purcell, when composing his third quartet not long before he died. Here Purcell is returned to the old polyphonic style while his fantasies are adorned with innovative effects. This ambitious programme sees cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras at the heart of the Arcanto quartet – a formation he founded with three great soloists.

Programme (pdf in French)