Carducci Quartet: Bartók Plus

Daring and experimental melodic lines create a fragmented and spectral feel in Bartók’s String Quartet No 3, which launches BBC Radio 3’s journey through the full spectrum of Bartók’s chamber music.

In just one unbroken movement, the Quartet oscillates between raw desolation and a lyrical warmth, made unsettling with the introduction of fast-paced dance rhythms. Teasing out the intricacies of the piece, the Carducci Quartet highlight the legacy of the Baroque on Bartók’s work, accompanying the piece with Haydn’s influential String Quartet Op 2 No 4. Spirited, lively and glowing with warm tones, listen out for the ways the stylings of an earlier era echo in Bartók’s work.