Impressions parisiennes Quatuor Van Kuijk

• Francis Poulenc (1899 - 1963): 2 Poèmes de Louis Aragon, FP 122:
• 1 Poulenc: 2 Poèmes de Louis Aragon, FP 122: No. 1, C. (Arr. for String Quartet by Jean-Christophe Masson) 02:27
• 2 Poulenc: 2 Poèmes de Louis Aragon, FP 122: No. 2, Fêtes galantes (Arr. for String Quartet by Jean-Christophe Masson) 00:57
• Fiançailles pour rire, FP 101:
• 3 Poulenc: Fiançailles pour rire, FP 101: No. 6, Fleurs (Arr. for String Quartet by Jean-Christophe Masson) 02:19
• Les chemins de l’amour, FP 106-Ia (Arr. for String Quartet by Jean-Christophe Masson):
• 4 Poulenc: Les chemins de l’amour, FP 106-Ia (Arr. for String Quartet by Jean-Christophe Masson) 02:39
• Banalités, FP 107:
• 5 Poulenc: Banalités, FP 107: No. 2, Hôtel (Arr. for String Quartet by Jean-Christophe Masson) 01:51
• Fancy, FP 174 (Arr. for String Quartet by Jean-Christophe Masson):
• 6 Poulenc: Fancy, FP 174 (Arr. for String Quartet by Jean-Christophe Masson) 01:32
• Baptiste Trotignon (b. 1974): Ces Messieurs:
• 7 Trotignon: Ces Messieurs: Francis 04:33
• Maurice Ravel (1875 - 1937): Pavane pour une infante défunte, M. 19 (Arr. for String Quartet by Gildas Guillon):
• 8 Ravel: Pavane pour une infante défunte, M. 19 (Arr. for String Quartet by Gildas Guillon) 05:41
• Baptiste Trotignon: Ces Messieurs: Maurice:
• 9 Trotignon: Ces Messieurs: Maurice 05:59
• Erik Satie (1866 - 1925): Je te veux (Arr. for String Quartet by Gildas Guillon):
• 10 Satie: Je te veux (Arr. for String Quartet by Gildas Guillon) 01:48
• Baptiste Trotignon: Ces Messieurs:
• 11 Trotignon: Ces Messieurs: Erik 03:50
• Claude Debussy (1862 - 1918): Petite Suite, L.65:
• 12 Debussy: Petite Suite, L.65: I. En bateau 03:40
• 13 Debussy: Petite Suite, L. 65: II. Cortège (Arr. for String Quartet by Emmanuel François) 03:05
• 14 Debussy: Petite Suite, L. 65: III. Menuet (Arr. for String Quartet by Emmanuel François) 03:24
• 15 Debussy: Petite Suite, L. 65: IV. Ballet (Arr. for String Quartet by Emmanuel François) 03:10
• Baptiste Trotignon: Ces Messieurs:
• 16 Trotignon: Ces Messieurs: Claude 04:47
• Gabriel Fauré (1845 - 1924): 3 mélodies, Op. 23:
• 17 Fauré: 3 mélodies, Op. 23: No. 1, Les berceaux (Arr. for String Quartet by Gildas Guillon) 03:07
• 18 Fauré: 2 Mélodies, Op. 46: No. 2, Clair de lune (Arr. for String Quartet by Gildas Guillon) 02:47
• 19 Fauré: 3 mélodies, Op. 7: No. 1, Après un rêve (Arr. for String Quartet by Gildas Guillon) 03:03
• 5 Mélodies, Op. 58:
• 20 Fauré: 5 Mélodies, Op. 58: No. 1, Mandoline (Arr. for String Quartet by Gildas Guillon) 01:52
• Baptiste Trotignon: Ces Messieurs:
• 21 Trotignon: Ces Messieurs: Gabriel 04:46
• Total Runtime 01:07:17

Info for Impressions parisiennes

Having recorded the 'great' French quartets of Debussy and Ravel (ALPHA295), the Van Kuijk Quartet now takes another path and explores treasures by Fauré, Debussy, Satie, Ravel and Poulenc that were originally composed for piano or voice. The mark of the string quartet is secretly apparent in this programme, which includes Debussy's Petite Suite pour piano à quatre mains, Ravel's famous Pavane pour une infante défunte and well-known songs by Poulenc, Fauré and Satie in transcriptions made especially for this recording by Emmanuel François, the Quartet's violist, and by Jean-Christophe Masson and Gildas Guillon. The Quartet also asked the jazz pianist and composer Baptiste Trotignon to create a work that would freely resonate alongside the styles of the composers whose works had been transcribed. An entire universe has now been re-created without any nostalgia or pastiche behind the first names of these composers, Ces Messieurs. Here, the Van Kuijks have woven their instruments in and around these miniatures, revealing a programme that is all lightness and delight.

Quatuor Van Kuijk

Van Kuijk Quartet
Founded in 2012, in Paris, the Van Kuijk Quartet recently won the 2015 Wigmore Hall String Quartet Competition, along with the associated Best Beethoven and Best Haydn prizes.

In the few years since the quartet first formed, they have found success throughout Europe: as well as triumphing at the Wigmore Hall, the quartet won the 1st Prize and Audience Award at the Trondheim International Chamber Music Competition, in Norway, and are also laureates of the Aix-en-Provence Festival Academy and the FNAPEC Ensembles Music Competition, both in France.

The Van Kuijk Quartet is in residence at Proquartet, Paris, where they study with members of the Alban Berg, Artemis and Hagen quartets. Having taken their first steps as students of the Ysaye Quartet, the young musicians now study with Günter Pichler at the Escuela Superior de Mùsica Reina Sofia in Madrid; their studies take place thanks to the generous support of the International Institute of Chamber Music of Madrid.

The quartet also participates in various academies; they have taken part in the McGill International String Quartet Academy (Montreal) with Michael Tree of the Guarneri Quartet and André Roy ; the 58th Weikersheim International Chamber Music Academy with the Vogler Quartet and Heime Müller, formerly of the Artemis Quartet; and others academies in Aix-en-Provence and Verbier.

An established presence in major international venues, the Van Kuijk Quartet has performed at the Salle Gaveau in Paris, the Wigmore Hall in London, and at festivals in Heidelberg, Verbier, Aix-en Provence and Stavanger. This summer, they will take part in the Tivoli Concert Series in Denmark and the Lockenhaus Chamber Music Festival in Austria.

Booklet for Impressions parisiennes