Musici Orchestre de Chambre de Paris - Dvorak en Enescu

Program

The afternoon kicks off with Dvořák. The Czech composer stayed in New York at the end of the 19th century and visited the town of Spillville in the summer, where he wrote his famous 'American' string quartet in just 16 days. Opinions are divided about how American this work is, many musicologists believe they can hear American influences through the use of pentatonic scales and syncopated rhythms, while the sobering conclusion by musicologist Paul Griffiths is: 'The only thing American about Dvořák's 'American' string quartet is that it was composed there.'

American or not, this 'swinging' work remains an absolute favorite with many listeners. In addition to his larger works, the composer also produced a large number of charming miniatures, ranging from waltzes to string quartet arrangements of songs. This afternoon you will hear a few of these miniatures for two violins and viola.

After the break, the program will focus on the composer George Enescu. This Romanian child prodigy wrote his first composition at the age of five. His parents sent him at a young age to the Vienna Conservatory where he met the great composer Johannes Brahms, who became one of his great inspirations. He developed into a gifted violinist and later also into a conductor, composer and music teacher. The musicians of the Orchester de Chambre de Paris will perform his impressive octet for string instruments.

Orchestra of the Chamber of Paris

The Orchester de Chambre de Paris is a top orchestra in which chamber music plays an important role. The orchestra can often be heard in French halls such as the Théâtre de Champs-Elysées, the Cité de la Musique, Théatre du Châtelet and, in chamber music formation, in Salle Cortot. In July 2023, the orchestra came to the Amsterdam Concertgebouw with a program around the music of Beethoven.

Violinist Jeroen Dupont, a welcome guest at De Waalse Kerk, became a member of this company in 2023 and will bring a number of his colleagues to Amsterdam again for a unique concert by absolute top musicians.