Mozart may only have been fifteen when he wrote his Divertimento in F, but its beautifully operatic style more than hints at the great composer he would become.

Bartók’s first string quartet is at least in part inspired by his unrequited love for a violinist called Stefi Geyer. The intensity of the opening movement soon lightens however, with the playful influence of Hungarian folk music becoming increasingly evident as this virtuosic masterpiece comes to a close.

Internationally acclaimed pianist Fiachra Garvey, who is also the festival’s artistic director, joins Quatour Arod to perform Franck’s mammoth Piano Quintet in F minor. Impassioned, dramatic and bursting with unbridled sensuality, it is undoubtedly the work of a composer at the apex of his genius.