Behind every piece of music lies a story. Sometimes deeply personal and intimate, sometimes tied to a place, a family, or an unexpected turn of life. Leoš Janáček’s Intimate Letters is among the most personal works in the string quartet repertoire. In music filled with passion, tenderness, and unrest, his love for Kamila Stösslová shines through.

Michael Fine shares a special bond with Rotterdam. As the former artistic director of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and an internationally acclaimed producer and sound engineer – with a Grammy Award to his name – he only began composing later in life. The Roterodamus Ensemble performs movements from his third string quartet, marking its Dutch premiere.

Franz Schubert wrote his String Quartet No. 10 in E-flat major, D 87 at just sixteen years old. Chamber music was a staple of daily life for the Schubert family; Franz played the viola at home alongside his father and brothers.

Three composers, three lives, and three stories – brought together in the intimacy of the string quartet.

Program:
Stories – Music from Heart to Heart

Leoš Janáček – String Quartet No. 2, Intimate Letters

Michael Fine – String Quartet No. 3

Franz Schubert – String Quartet No. 10 in E-flat major, Op. 125 (D 87)