Dudok Quartet

Welcome to the bewitching world of Circus Dinogad in which Welsh contralto Hilary Summers, the Dutch theorbo & bass clarinet duo Mike Fentross & Maarten Ornstein and the Dudok Quartet Amsterdam converge in a fusion of musical traditions.

Following their acclaimed first instalment of Franz Joseph Haydn’s six Op. 20 string quartets, the Dudok Quartet Amsterdam returns with the remainder of the works from this hugely significant collection – the E-flat major, D major and A major quartets. Earning Haydn the title of the ‘father of the string quartet’, these works are said to have defined the medium for the next 200 years. It is in his lauded Op. 20, where Haydn connects old and new worlds and creates an all-encompassing universe.

This Blu-ray derive from the world premiere performances, at the Dutch National Opera in 2016, of Only the Sound Remains, a Japanese-inspired double bill by Kaija Saariaho. Her first opera, L’Amour de loin, has captivated audiences around the world, and she composed Only the Sound Remains with the ethereal tones of Philippe Jaroussky in mind. Appropriately, the French countertenor plays two supernatural characters, an angel and a ghost. The fisherman and priest who encounter them are both sung by baritone Davone Tines, while the production is the work of the celebrated director Peter Sellars.

For their third album for the Resonus Classics label, the acclaimed Dudok Quartet Amsterdam releases a new recording based around the theme of solitude.

Following on from their critically acclaimed debut album (Métamorphoses: Haydn, Ligeti & Brahms), the Dudok Kwartet Amsterdam returns to the Resonus label with a compelling programme of works around the theme of counterpoint & labyrinth.