Program notes

Erwin Schulhoff (b. 1894) was a Czech-German composer whose work was often gleefully ironic - perhaps his most controversial composition is a cantata setting of the Communist Manifesto. His Jewish roots, leftist beliefs and mischievous disregard for “high art” made him a prime target in 1942 occupied Czechoslovakia, and he was deported to a concentration camp where he died aged 48.

These Five Pieces for String Quartet were written in 1923 and largely encapsulate his approach as a composer, including his smirking disdain for convention. The structure references a Baroque dance suite, but each movement is full of parody, dissonance, and dance rhythms inspired by his love for Czech folk music, jazz and tango.

Photos by Rasmus Kongsgaard.