A mirror work to Mozart's String Quartet No. 19
The “Parisii” Quartet, celebrating its 40th anniversary, has decided to return to the roots of the string quartet by performing works by Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. The musicians of the “Parisii” are always deeply committed to musical creation, and they wanted to incorporate a contemporary piece that integrates and dialogues with these classical works.
I chose Mozart's String Quartet No. 19 as a reference because it occupies a central place in the development of the string quartet genre, drawing inspiration from Haydn's quartets while also anticipating the future with Beethoven's. The movements of Konsonanzenquartett are thus related to those of Mozart, creating a kind of mirror game.
Mozart's String Quartet No. 19 features a striking harmony in its opening movement, unusual for the time. This work is commonly referred to as “the quartet of dissonances.” Since then, music has evolved, and dissonances have come to be placed on equal footing with consonances. Today, proposing a work based on consonances could seem as strange as the dissonances in Mozart's time.
Thus, I imposed upon myself the challenge of composing with many consonances, while at the same time exploring unheard timbres. Each movement focuses on specific “playing techniques”: glissando, pizzicato, legno battuto (striking the wood), etc.
The title of the piece, Konsonanzenquartett, is therefore a nod to Mozart's work.
The string quartet is firmly embedded in tradition and remains one of the privileged laboratories for composers. It represents a field of experimentation that composers from all eras have taken advantage of, from Haydn to the present day, including Mozart, Beethoven, Debussy, Ravel, Schoenberg, Berg, Janáček, Boulez, Nono, and Lachenmann, to name just a few.

Quatuor Parisii

Arnaud Vallin • first violin

Florent Brannens • second violin

Dominique Lobet • viola

Jean-Philippe Martignoni • violoncello