The Chiaroscuro Quartet is named for the Italian term for light and shade in art, an apt description of their refined phrasing and ability to illuminate familiar works with their subtle period-instrument tones. The ensemble’s recording of Mendelssohn’s Op. 13 prompted the Observer to conclude that its ‘unadorned sound is a shock to the ears of the best, most arresting kind’. It begins this morning with the intricate musical argument of Beethoven’s final string quartet, considered by the composer Robert Simpson to contain ‘the most sensitively coloured quartet writing in existence’.

EPSG:4326

Chiaroscuro Quartet

Wigmore Hall

Kleinhans Music Hall

Renowned for their fresh approach to period instrument performance of classical repertoire, the members of this Russian-Swedish-French ensemble together produce a unique sound – described by The Observer (London) as “a shock to the ears of the best kind.” Rediscover great works of Beethoven and Schubert in the ensemble’s Houston debut.  Chiaroscuro Quartet translates into sound the Renaissance painting technique they are named after – crafting unforgettable music through shifting shades of light and darkness.

The Menil Collection

The Chiaroscuro Quartet, playing on period instruments, takes a tour from the early years of the string quartet’s history to visit one of the genre’s highest summits. It devotes its programme’s first half to two seminal works by Haydn, jewels from his pioneering Op. 20 set, before turning to Beethoven’s Op. 132, complete with its exalted ‘Hymn of Thanksgiving to God for recovery from illness’.

Charlotte Saluste-Bridoux

Events

Upcoming events

Oct 14, 2026

Chiaroscuro Quartet · Wigmore Hall

Past events

Jul 12, 2026

Chiaroscuro Quartet · Wigmore Hall

Nov 5, 2024

Chiaroscuro Quartet · Buffalo Chamber Music Society

Future and recently performed repertoire

Violin in String Quartet in G minor by Haydn

Wigmore Hall

Violin in String Quartet No. 15 by Beethoven

Wigmore Hall

Violin in String Quartet No. 2 by Mendelssohn

Wigmore Hall

Violin in String Quartet in A major by Haydn

Wigmore Hall

Violin in String Quartet No. 16 by Beethoven

Wigmore Hall

About

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