Russian Quartets with the DoelenKwartet
For a while, I thought I’d lost this CD. It was our very first one with the DoelenKwartet, recorded in October 2000 at the initiative of the Vereniging Vrienden van het Rotterdams Philharmonisch Orkest and Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen. A precious collaboration and an unforgettable start.
We recorded three very different Russian works:
• Shostakovich’s Tenth String Quartet
• Gubaidulina’s Second String Quartet
• Silvestrov’s First String Quartet
I still remember I was ill the week before the sessions, we almost had to cancel. But thankfully we didn’t. Listening back now, I’m proud of what we captured. The energy, the focus, the love for the music…. it’s all there.
And a lovely detail: both Frank de Groot, our first violinist, and I played on instruments made by my husband, Jan van der Elst.
The CD is no longer available in shops. Sharing it here on my website feels like the best way to preserve and celebrate that special moment in time.