25th anniversary of
the Molinari Quartet
The famous quartet will end its season with a great event: The Quartet according to Berio
May 2, 2023
Faithful to its tradition of performing complete cycles of string quartets by one composer, the Molinari Quartet closes its season with a major event entitled The Quartet According to Berio in its series Twentieth and Beyond, on Friday, May 19th.
At times serial, post-webernian and sometimes even electronic, his music is influenced by the modernity of the Darmstadt School.
The Italian composer Luciano Berio (1925-2003) has left a substantial work that can be categorized as unclassifiable. At times serial, post-webernian and sometimes even electronic, his music is influenced by the modernity of the Darmstadt School. His musical explorations have led him to finish Puccini’s opera Turandot and even to write Rendering, a work based on the sketches from Schubert’s unfinished 10th Symphony.

Photo: Elizabeth Delage
As for his string quartets, they explore all the possibilities of string quartet writing. Berio also creates a unique language, especially with his later quartets, Notturno and Glosse, which are sometimes even contemplative.
“This is a very rich string quartet cycle and the composer explores all the different aspects of string quartet writing of the 20th century. The music is magnetic and we are very enthusiastic about sharing these incredible quartets with our public” says Olga Ranzenhofer, violinist and artistic director of the Molinari Quartet.
Free pre-concert conference
The Molinari Quartet invites Jean Portugais, university professor, music lover and former music commentator for Radio-Canada, to give a pre-concert free conference in the concert hall of the Conservatory at 6:30 pm on May 19. The 40-minute conference will give biographical and musicological information on the very innovative and original composer that is Luciano Berio.
Dialogue on the Plateau
The concert will be preceded by the Dialogue on the Plateau series, a free workshop activity at the Maison de la culture Plateau-Mont-Royal (465, Mont-Royal East), on Sunday, May 14 at 2 pm. You will hear analysis, discussions and musical excerpts of the works to be played at the May 19 concert.

Photo: John Klepko
Throughout the past quarter of a century, the Molinari Quartet has produced 20 albums, played over 300 works including 123 Canadian pieces (75 from Quebec), 123 world premieres and 79 commissions. It has also organized 8 editions of its successful Molinari Quartet International Composition Competition, receiving over a thousand unpublished pieces from 70 countries.
The Quartet according to Berio
Complete string quartets of Luciano Berio (1925-2003)
Study (1952)
Quartetto (1955)
Sincronie (1964)
Notturno (1993)
Glosse (1996)
Conference by Jean Portugais
May 19, 2023, at 6:30 pm
Concert The Quartet according to Berio
May 19, 2023, at 7:30 pm
Concert hall of the Conservatoire de Montréal, 4750 Henri-Julien
‘This is a very rich string quartet cycle and the composer explores all the different aspects of string quartet writing of the 20th century.’
Tickets
Tickets are available for $29.50, $24.50 and $12.50.
For more details about the concert season and the most recent news, visit quatuormolinari.qc.ca and the Molinari Quartet Facebook page.
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.
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 20th and 21st centuries. It is formed by world-class musicians: Olga Ranzenhofer (violin), Antoine Bareil (violin), Frédéric Lambert (viola), and Pierre-Alain Bouvrette (cello).
Feature image: Elizabeth Delage
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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”.
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