Vermeer Quartet


This 2CD set forms an essential addition to the Naxos catalogue, presenting Bartók’s six string quartets – one of the most significant contributions to 20th century chamber music.


Written between 1908 and 1939, Bartók’s six quartets not only trace the composer’s development throughout his career but also the tragic events of the first half of the twentieth century. The folk-inspired romanticism of the first quartet provides the entry point, the intensity of emotion building through the more experimental third and fourth quartets through to the empty desolation of the sixth quartet, written as Bartók prepared to leave Hungary for the USA.



“The Vermeer Quartet prove to be extremely sensitive to the emotional demands of each work, giving highly accomplished and committed performances.”
BBC Music Magazine on Shostakovich