Newswire | A captivating 27th season for the Molinari Quartet

Montreal, August 22, 2023. Here it goes for the 27^th season of the Molinari Quartet! During this season, the Molinari Quartet will produce three concert series in Montreal as well as being invited by producers in New York, Toronto, Vancouver and throughout the province of Quebec.

Already on September 8 at 7:30 pm, the Molinari Quartet will perform in the Montreal Conservatory’s “Ensemble en residence” series. You will hear Dimitri Shostakovich’s Quartets No.11 and 12, Quinsin Nachoff’s String Quartet No.1 and Waves, the Second string quartet by R. Murray Schafer.

Twentieth and Beyond series

The December 1^st concert entitled Dances, will feature the celebrated Quartet in G by French composer Claude Debussy, the rhythmically intense Quartet No.4 by Béla Bartók and Reqs (Dance) by Azerbaijani composer Franghiz Ali-Zadeh.

Two, a double bill concert on February 16, 2024, will feature two composers. To celebrate Montreal composer John Rea’s 80^th anniversary, the Molinari’s will perform Objets perdus (1992) and a new commission Objets perçus. Alternating with Rea’s quartets, the musicians will play Dimitri Shostakovich’s Quartets No.10 and 13.

Pursuing its tradition to present the complete cycle of string quartets by one composer, the Molinari Quartet immerses itself into the universe of Viennese composer Anton Webern’s string quartets. His six quartets will be played in the event The Quartet According to Webern on March 22, 2024. Delicacy and Viennese elegance are on the menu.

To close the season, the musicians will play the concert New Era, on May 24, 2024. On this occasion, the Quartet will premiere La maison est l’atelier est la maison by Quebec composer Michel Gonneville. This new quartet takes its inspiration from a painting by artist Mario Côté. The young mezzo-soprano Odile Portugais will join the musicians in the Quartet No.2 by Arnold Schoenberg, a landmark work in the history of music because of its introduction of atonality. Igor Stravinsky’s Three Pieces will open the concert.

The opening September concert as well as the four from the Twentieth and Beyond series will take place as usual in the beautiful concert hall of the Montreal Conservatory, 4750, avenue Henri-Julien at 7h30 pm. Tickets are 12,50 $ (students), 24,50 $(seniors) and 29,50 $ (regular).

The concerts are preceded by the instructive Dialogues on the Plateau series, free workshop activities in preparation to the concerts of the Twentieth and Beyond series. Analysis, discussions, musical excerpts and, of course, exchanges between the public, the musicians and the composers comprise these workshops. The Dialogues will be held on November 26, February 10, March 19 and May 19 at 2 pm at the Maison de la culture Plateau Mont-Royal, 465 avenue Mont-Royal East. Free admission.

Music to See series

The 2023-24 season will mark the return of the “Music to See” series, held at the Guido-Molinari Foundation. Surrounded by beautiful art works, the musicians will play a varied repertoire. The first concert will take place on December 17 at 3 pm and the second concert on April 28 2024 also at 3 pm. The Guido-Molinari Foundation is situated at 3290, St. Catherine Street East, Montreal. Tickets at the door: 20$.

The Molinari Quartet’s Ninth International Composition Competition will be launched in September 2023. International composers aged 40 or less are invited to send their new works by April 1^st 2024 to the Molinari Quartet. Complete details and regulations will be posted in September on the Molinari Quartet’s website at https://quatuormolinari.qc.ca/projects/concours/

For more details about the concert season and the most recent news, visit quatuormolinari.qc.ca and the Facebook page of the Molinari Quartet and subscribe to our newsletter at https://bit.ly/45l8rel

About the Molinari Quartet

Acclaimed by the public and the international musical critic since its foundation in 1997, the Molinari Quartet dedicates itself to the rich string quartet repertoire of the 20^th and 21^st centuries. It is formed by world class musicians: Olga Ranzenhofer (violin), Antoine Bareil (violin), Frédéric Lambert (viola), and Pierre-Alain Bouvrette (cello).

Winner of 24 Opus Prizes given by the Conseil québécois de la musique for its excellence in concert music, the Molinari Quartet is recognized as one of the best ensembles in the country. Critics describe the quartet as « essential », « prodigious », and « Canada’s answer to the international quartets Kronos and Arditti ».

The Molinari Quartet thanks the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, the Conseil des arts du Canada, the Conseil des arts de Montréal, the Conseil québécois de la musique, the City of Montreal, Alfred Dallaire | Memoria, ATMA Classique, and the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal for their generous support.