The Dahlkvist Quartet

“One day a carrot freshly observed will start a revolution,” says the painter Cézanne in a novel by Émile Zola. This quote inspired American composer Gabriella Smith to write her Carrot Revolution – “a tribute to the ability to find new ways of approaching older artistic forms and expressions, such as the string quartet, a 250-year-old genre.”

Many associate Sibelius with epic symphonies and his grand violin concerto. But he also wrote a wealth of music in smaller forms, including a string quartet with the subtitle Voces intimae – “Intimate Voices.” It’s as if we are hearing his private reflections on the grandeur, mystery and joy of life.

Between these two works, the Dahlkvist Quartet performs a string quartet by the exceptionally gifted Swedish composer Bo Linde (1933–70) from Gävle. With his flowing, melodic language, Linde went his own way during a post-war period otherwise dominated by austerity and modernist ideals. His String Quartet Op. 9 is a milestone in his catalogue: at just 20 years old, he had already found a distinctive voice in impressive fashion.

The Dahlkvist Quartet consists of Kersti Gräntz and Gudrun Dahlkvist on violins, Jon Dahlkvist on viola, and Hanna Dahlkvist – also a member of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra – on cello.