Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective

The evening

Drama, playfulness and high romance for piano quartet: Suk and Taneyev at the top of their game.

Suk wrote his Piano Quartet in A minor – his Op 1 – at the suggestion of Dvořák, his teacher at the time. The older composer loved it and it is easy to see why. From opening flourish to passionate middle to exuberant close, it overflows with confidence and style.

Taneyev’s Piano Quartet in E major is a heady brew with its unabashed Romanticism, touches of sparkling wit and exquisite melodies. A lifelong friend of Tchaikovsky, Taneyev is not as well known outside Russia as he might be, but this 1906 Quartet is considered one of the best ever written.

The Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective bring their trademark commitment and flair to this gloriously full-blooded programme of Russian and Czech chamber music.

Recorded for future broadcast on BBC Radio 3.