Opus13

First Grand Prix of  Vibre! Bordeaux 2025 International String Quartet Competition

Sonoko Miriam Welde, violin
Edvard Erdal, violin
Albin Uusijärvi, viola
Daniel Thorell, cello

After winning First Prize at the Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition and the Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition last year, the Opus13 Quartet returns for a Mozart–Vaage–Janáček concert at Château Cheval Blanc. The ensemble, named after Felix Mendelssohn’s eponymous quartet—an impassioned work from the composer’s youth—was formed in Oslo before launching an international career.

The four musicians share a passion for both classical and contemporary music, and have also chosen to champion Nordic repertoire in their programs. After the dark String Quartet in D minor, K. 421 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart—which legend says was composed the night Constance gave birth to their first child—the Opus13 will perform Bumerang by the Norwegian composer Knut Vaage, written in 2011. In this work, the composer explores not only the possibilities of the strings but also those of the performers, incorporating creaking sounds, glissandi, bow strikes on the strings, and even breathing noises. The nearly continuous tremolo gives the piece an effervescent, restless quality, immersing the listener in a strikingly original sound world.

To conclude the program, Opus13 will make a stop in the Czech Republic with the second quartet by Leoš Janáček, subtitled Intimate Letters. Inspired by the composer’s close friend Kamila Stösslová, the work is a kaleidoscope of shifting moods—a journey into Janáček’s passionate inner world.