Monday at Last with with Quartet and double bass

The Zilliacus Quartet has quickly positioned themselves as one of Sweden’s top string quartets. Cecilia Zilliacus and Kati Raitinen are familiar from the string trio ZilliacusPerssonRaitinen, which founded the concert subscription Monday at Last. Ylvali Zilliacus is a member of the Uppsala Chamber Soloists. Julia-Maria Kretz-Larsson is concertmaster in the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. 

Here, the quartet is joined by Rick Stotijn, solo double bass player with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. We enjoy demonstrable proof that the double bass is an incredibly versatile instrument with potential for solos in playful, dramatic music by Jaakko Kuusisto, Carin Malmlöf-Forssling, American Edgar Meyer and Polish composer and doyen Penderecki (1933–2020). 

Opera composer Rossini’s Duet for Cello and Double Bass is playful and dazzlingly virtuosic, while Dvorák’s String Quartet, composed for a competition themed “For my country” is infused with pathos and melodious energy.