Beethoven composed the three-piece Op. 59 series in 1806, commissioned by Russian Count Andrei Razumovsky. The first piece in this series, the String Quartet in F major, opened up new dimensions compared to earlier compositional traditions: the monumental first movement, built on broad arcs, is followed by a playful, sparkling scherzo that is also remarkable for its rhythm. The third movement, which expresses deep and tragic emotions, flows seamlessly into the finale, whose main theme features a Russian folk song, followed by a lively, sparkling, and structurally intricate fugue. Borodin’s String Quartet in D major is a magnificent work of late Romantic Russian chamber music; composed in 1881, the composer dedicated it to his wife. Its Notturno movement has become iconic for its romantic, intimate tone. The composition’s lyrical melodies, its light and sparkling Scherzo, and its complex, solemn final movement all reflect Borodin’s Russian heritage.

The members of the Korossy Quartet began working together in 2018. The following year, they won the Leó Weiner National Chamber Music Competition, organized by the Liszt Academy of Music Budapest, and in 2021, the ensemble was awarded five special prizes at the International Bartók Competition. Their work is supported by renowned artists, including Eberhard Feltz, Barnabás Kelemen, András Keller, Katalin Kokas, György Pauk, Günter Pichler, András Schiff, and Gábor Takács-Nagy. In addition to performing at Hungary’s largest concert venues, they have participated in international festivals such as the Lockenhaus Kammermusikfest, Kamara.hu, Arcus Temporum, Bartók Spring, Festival Academy Budapest, and the Mahler Festival in Toblach. The BMC audience may also be already familiar with the quartet: in the fall of 2023, they launched a series to perform all of Béla Bartók’s string quartets at the Concert Hall, while during the 2025/26 season, they played Kurtág’s works at the Kurtág100 festival, and later gave a joint concert with Zoltán Fejérvári. In the 2026/27 season, they are launching a new series titled Refractions, which, over the course of three concerts, will shed light on various facets of the genre through pieces rarely associated with each other.

Further concerts in this series:

2026.09.25. Korossy Quartet: Refractions 3/1.
2027.02.26. Korossy Quartet: Refractions 3/2.