Presented by Leo Samama.
Bertus van Lier (1906-1972) – String Quartet No. 1 (1929)
- Allegro non troppo, 2. Scherzando, molto vivace e leggiero, 3. Rondo
Performers: Nieuw Amsterdams Peil
Live recording by the Leo Smit Foundation
Rosy Wertheim (1888-1949) – Quatuor à cordes (1932)
- Allegro con moto, 2. Intermezzo, 3. Allegro energico
Performers: Utrecht String Quartet
CD: Futureclassics
Robert de Roos (1907-1976) – String Quartet No. 2 (1942)
- Adagio-Allegro-Adagio, 2. Allegro molto-Adagio-Presto
Performers: Gaudeamus Quartet
CD: Donemus
Marius Flothuis (1914-2001) – String Quartet opus 44 (1952)
- Allegro impetuoso, 2. Lento, 3. Allegro appassionato, 4. Allegretto leggiero, 5. Finale (Poco adagio)
Performers: Raphael String Quartet
CD: Olympia Records
Bertus van Lier also studied under Willem Pijper. His string quartet was composed during his years of study. Rosy Wertheim studied in Amsterdam under Bernard Zweers and Sem Dresden before moving to Paris to learn from Stravinsky and the members of the Groupe des Six. Her concise and lyrical String Quartet from 1932 was also premiered there for the first time.
Robert de Roos also left for Paris after studying under Johan Wagenaar in Utrecht, where he continued his studies under Milhaud and Koechlin. Of Robert de Roos’s eight string quartets, the first three were composed during the war, including the Second String Quartet from 1942. Marius Flothuis was largely self-taught as a composer. His five-movement String Quartet is extremely lyrical and romantically expressive, and the transparent interweaving of voices reveals his love for Mozart.
