A la Belaieff

Following an extensive concert tour throughout the Netherlands in February 2010 with pianist Inon Barnatan, the Rubens Quartet is offering this series once again during the 2010-11 season, this time welcoming as our guest

the cellist Dmitri Ferschtman.

The music surrounding Mitrofan Belaieff, the greatest music patron in Russian history, includes the passionate works from the great Russian composers of the romantic period, such as Borodin, Glazunov, Lyadov and Arensky. 

This series is inspired by the weekly soirées "Les Vendredis" (Fridays) hosted by Belaieff. These evenings, which took place in his spacious St. Petersburg apartment from 1884 until his death in 1903, were already legendary in their time. They were a source of inspiration for composers, writers and visual artists (such as the painter Repin, who created the portrait of Belaieff seen here).

These concerts are offered with cellist                        

Dmitri Ferschtman, who joins Rubens Quartet in the string quintet of Alexander Glazunov.  You can also hear this work together with works of Beethoven and Joey Roukens on April 27, 2011 in the Quartet's series at the Concertgebouw.

You can already get a preview of this program by the Rubens Quartet during the winter of 2010:

February 7, 10 AM Live on Radio 4 Nederland on the program Spiegelzaal at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam

(also available on archive at www.radio4.nl)

February 12, 8:15 PM in the Kleine Zaal of the Concertgebouw Amsterdam with pianist Inon Barnatan