We are proud to return to the 2025 Edinburgh International Festival as a cultural partner, marking the revival of a fruitful relationship after more than a decade, presenting an exceptional chamber music concert featuring the internationally acclaimedBelcea Quartet.
Founded in 1994 by violinist Corina Belcea – one of the most celebrated Romanian musicians on the international classical stage – the Belcea Quartet brings together four outstanding artists united by their passion for string quartet repertoire and their distinctive musical insight: Corina Belcea (violin), Suyeon Kang (violin), Krzysztof Chorzelski (viola), and Antoine Lederlin (cello).
For the Festival performance, the Belcea Quartet revitalises and transforms chamber music from the 18th and 19th centuries, featuring works by Beethoven, Mendelssohn, and Mozart.
Programme:
Mendelssohn - Four Pieces for String Quartet, Op.81
Mendelssohn - No.4 Fugue in E flat, Op.81 No.4
Mendelssohn - No.3 Capriccio in E minor, Op.81 No.3
Beethoven - String Quartet No.16 in F, Op.135
Mozart - String Quartet No.19 in C, K465 ‘Dissonance’
The Belcea Quartet bring their electrifying energy to a programme of extraordinary string quartets. Spanning Ludwig van Beethoven’s late works, Felix Mendelssohn’s youthful and autumnal moods and Mozart’s ‘Dissonance’ Quartet, their recital will leave you rethinking these familiar works.
Beethoven’s final major work, String Quartet No. 16, surprises and charms with its cheerful and surprisingly mischievous melodies, while Mendelssohn’s youthful and yearning Capriccio contrasts sharply with his more autumnal Fugue, composed over 16 years later. Even more of a surprise is Mozart’s ‘Dissonance’ Quartet, so-called because of the unusual opening harmonies, which sound as if they have time-travelled to Mozart’s era from our own.
With precision and passion, this exceptional quartet offers a fresh perspective on these beloved pieces, which will leave you inspired and invigorated.
This concert will be recorded for broadcast by our partners BBC Radio 3.
“Even the trio’s energetic savagery was carefully shaped, while the chromatic lines of the third movement were limpid and beautifully strange”. – The Guardian
Supported by David Millar
The concert will take place in the elegant setting of The Queen’s Hall, a historic venue located in Edinburgh’s Southside. Originally opened in 1824 as Hope Park Chapel, and transformed into a concert hall in 1979 by HM Queen Elizabeth II, The Queen’s Hall offers an intimate atmosphere with exceptional acoustics and a seating capacity of 800.
The 2025 Edinburgh International Festival will run from 1 to 24 August, under the theme 'The Truth We Seek'. This year's festival features 133 performances by over 1,700 artists from 42 nations, including 600 from Scotland. The programme includes seven world premieres, eight UK and Scottish premieres, and two European premieres across theatre, music, dance, and opera.
Belcea Quartet was founded in 1994 by violinist Corina Belcea while she was studying at the Royal College of Music, London. The quartet benefitted from mentorship by the renowned Chilingirian and Alban Berg Quartets. Between 1999 and 2001, they were selected for the prestigious BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists scheme and made their debut at Carnegie Hall in 2000. Their first appearance at the Edinburgh International Festival followed in 2001.
The quartet held residencies at London’s Wigmore Hall from 2001 to 2006 and at Berlin’s Pierre Boulez Hall between 2017 and 2020. They have premiered works by leading contemporary composers, including Joseph Phibbs and Mark-Anthony Turnage.
Belcea Quartet’s acclaimed discography features complete cycles of Bartók, Beethoven, Brahms, and Britten quartets, alongside works by Mozart, Schubert, and others. They perform regularly at major international venues, including Carnegie Hall, the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Flagey Brussels, and the National Concert Hall Dublin.
When: 20 Aug 2025, 11:00 – 13:00
Where: Queen's Hall, 85-89 Clerk St, Edinburgh EH8 9JG, UK
