EGLISE DE VÉTHEUIL
au nordScandinavian string quartets
Saturday, June 13th 2026 - 17:00
Quatuor Hermès
Omer Bouchez, violin
Elise Liu, violin
Manuel Vioque-Judde, viola
Yan Levionnois, cello
Composed twenty-five years apart, the quartets by Valborg Aulin and Nancy Dalberg reflect a shared artistic impulse: that of embracing the string quartet as a medium for both challenge and self-expression. Formed in Stockholm, Copenhagen and Paris, both are part of the European musical currents of their time, whilst developing a deeply personal style of composition.
By the end of the 19th century, Valborg Aulin was a well-known figure in Stockholm: her works were being performed, published and championed. Then she withdrew from the music scene and stopped composing, leaving behind, amongst other things, two string quartets of tremendous ambition. In 1915, in Denmark, Nancy Dalberg took a bold gamble (according to the press of the time): to devote an entire concert to her music. Her quartet opened the evening, supported by her teacher Carl Nielsen. It was an experience she would describe as ‘a fairy tale’, hearing her notes come to life.
Bringing together Valborg Aulin and Nancy Dalberg means showcasing two distinct approaches to the string quartet in Scandinavia during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. For both, this form is neither a detour nor a mere exercise. These two quartets paint a contrasting picture of the North – not static or contemplative, but brimming with energy, shadows, vigour and inventiveness.
PROGRAM
AU NORD
NANCY DALBERG (1881 – 1949)
String quartet n°1
VALBORG AULIN (1860−1928)
String quartet in C minor, op. 17
ARTISTS
HERMÈS QUARTET
The group’s original line-up was formed in 2008 at the CNSMD in Lyon, where they studied with members of the Ravel Quartet. They subsequently benefited from working with leading figures such as the Ysaÿe Quartet, the Artemis Quartet, Eberhard Feltz, and later Alfred Brendel, a tremendous source of inspiration with whom the members still work regularly today. Open to all repertoires, they regularly share the stage with distinguished musicians such as Yo-Yo Ma, Nicholas Angelich, Gregor Sigl, Pavel Kolesnikov, Kim Kashkashian, Anne Gastinel, and the Ébène and Auryn Quartets. Winner of numerous first prizes, notably at the Geneva Competition and the Young Concert Artists Auditions in New York, the quartet is also supported by the Banque Populaire Foundation. It was quartet-in-residence at the Queen Elisabeth Hall in Brussels from 2012 to 2016 and has been an associate quartet of the Singer-Polignac Foundation in Paris since 2019. Their close and privileged collaboration with the La Dolce Volta label has given rise to several projects. Their latest recording of Schubert’s string quartets won the Choc award from Classica magazine as well as a Radio Classique Trophy, and was named CD of the Week by the Bavarian radio station BR-Klassik. Since 2018, the quartet has broadened its musical horizons through its collaboration with accordionist Félicien Brut and double bassist Édouard Macarez, with whom they decided to form Le Pari des Bretelles, a project recorded for Mirare in 2019, followed by a second collaboration in 2020, paying tribute to Beethoven through nine new works.
Yan Levionnois plays a 1703 David Tecchler cello, generously loaned by private patrons.
HAVE YOU HEARD OF VALBORG AULIN?
Tre Fantasistycken, op. 30 :
I. Berceuse
Theo Fouchenneret, piano