In a chain reaction of different chamber music compositions, the passionate members of Roctet perform the world premiere of ‘De Chroniqueur’ by Max Knigge, along the works by Bach, Dohnanyi, Prokofiev, Hartig, Respighi and Franck.

The emphasis of the evening is on the world premiere of the multidisciplinary string octet ‘De Chroniqueur’ by the Dutch composer Max Knigge. The piece was written especially for Roctet and commissioned by New Music Now. “A musical trip about love, value and responsibility, with colorful and exciting music.” Less known, but no less beautiful is ‘Doppio Quartetto’ by twenty-year-old Italian composer Ottorino Respighi, written in 1900. Some key aspects of Respighi’s later oeuvre already present themselves in this experimental youth work: The love for ‘the old’, a very rich and personal sound palette and his preference for instrumental music against the bel canto tradition that prevailed in Italy at the time. The symphonic poem Psyché et Éros by César Franck, adapted by Henk de Vlieger for string octet (also especially for Roctet), is a love symphony in chamber music format.