Mondriaan/Molinari: Musical Inspirations

The Canadian Quatuor Molinari collaborates with visual artist Udo Prinsen for a programme of new music inspired by paintings of Mondriaan and Guido Molinari. Wilbert Bulsink composed his second string quartet in response to the work of the Canadian painter Molinari; Canadian composer Denis Gougeon drew inspiration from Mondriaan. Both new quartets are complemented by two works from the existing repertoire: Streepjes by Guus Janssen and Objets Perdus by John Rea.

Quatuor Molinari is internationally acclaimed and has received thirty Opus Prizes from the Quebec Music Council. Critics have described the ensemble as "essential" and "phenomenal" - "Canada's answer to the Kronos or Arditti quartet". The quartet performs in concert series and festivals across Canada, Europe and Asia, and records for the ATMA Classique label. These recordings have earned two Editors' Choices from Gramophone Magazine, and positive reviews in The Strad, Fanfare and Diapason.

For their 2025 CD featuring all string quartets by Luciano Berio, they received the Diapason d'Or and the 2025 Abbiati Recording Prize from the National Association of Music Critics in Italy. De Volkskrant wrote: "...adventurous listeners can be delighted. These are meticulous, lively performances, without excessive enthusiasm - this is how Berio's string quartets sound in their purest form." (Dennis Bajram, 27 March 2025). Their recording of the complete string quartets by Kurtág received a Diapason d'Or in 2016 and the Echo Klassik Prize for chamber music of the 20th and 21st centuries; NRC included that album in its list of best classical albums of 2016.

Line-up: Olga Ranzenhofer (violin, artistic direction), Antoine Bareil (violin), Lyne Allard (viola), Pierre-Alain Bouvrette (cello). Visuals: Udo Prinsen.