Oxalys (strijkoctet)

YOUTHFUL VITALITY FOR EIGHT STRING PLAYERS

Felix Mendelssohn was barely sixteen when he wrote the octet for strings, one of his greatest masterpieces. With just four violins, two violas and two cellos, Mendelssohn flings the gates of a promising symphonic sound world wide open.

Oxalys’ eight string players juxtapose this work with the octet of nineteen-year-old George Enescu. This Romanian composer brought together elements of German late romanticism, French impressionism and Romanian folklore. It vibrates with youthful vitality, while heralding the mature style of the composer, whose opera Oedipe recently enjoyed great success at the Brussels opera house, La Monnaie.