EIF 26: Gringolts Quartet

Franz Schubert’s final quartet is interwoven with music by György Kurtág, celebrating his centenary.

Acclaimed for their ‘beautifully integrated sound’ (The Herald), the musicians of the Gringolts Quartet create a lively dialogue between compositions from different eras. Their Festival recital celebrates György Kurtág’s centenary by interweaving three of his exquisitely crafted compositions with the final quartet of one of his heroes, Franz Schubert.  

Kurtág’s elegiac Officium breve in memoriam Andreae Szervánszky pays tribute to a compatriot and fellow composer. Considered among his finest creations, it deftly combines original music with arrangements of pieces by Endre Szervánszky and Anton Webern. Also on the programme are the delicately textured Hommage à Jacob Obrecht and the emotionally intense Microludes – each lasting under two minutes.  

One of Kurtág’s heroes, Franz Schubert composed his String Quartet No. 15 in G in 1826, two years before his death. Its harmonic adventurousness, heroic scale, melodic beauty and dramatic range of moods make it one of the most engaging of his chamber works. 

Presented by Edinburgh International Festival