Quatuor Béla

We are delighted to present Quatuor Béla, one of France’s leading string quartets.

Guided by the personality and work of Béla Bartok, the quartet play and deliver programmes with sincere conviction. Recognized for its “diabolical technique” (Télérama), Quatuor Béla have become one of the leading European quartets working with contemporary composers such as Garth Knox, Kaija Saariaho and Francesca Verunelli.

Founded in 2006 by four musicians from the National Higher Conservatory of Music of Lyon and Paris, the Béla Quartet were brought together by a shared passion for the repertoire of the 20th century. The quartet is committed to championing new compositions and exploring the relationship between composers and performers.

This tour of NI will feature significant works of the classical repertoire with Beethoven’s Serioso Quartet, Fauré’s only string quartet and his final composition, alongside three new pieces by NI based composers Simon Mawhinney, Piers Hellawell and Pedro Rebelo.

PROGRAMME:

Fauré – Op. 121 (27 mins)
Hellawell Movement from Quartet (8 mins)
Rebelo New work premiere (10 mins)
Mawhinney Entendu (15 mins)
Beethoven Serioso Quartet Op.95 (20mins)