This program was created by and for the ADAM Quartet as a part of MERITA and Le Dimore de Quartetto.

In this concert, the ADAM Quartet explores the combination of music and poetry. Through music by Barry Guy, Pelham Humfrey and Franz Joseph Haydn as well as poetry by Samuel Beckett and the scripture that inspired Haydn’s work, the ADAM Quartet attempts to embody verbal and non verbal experiences through music. 

Barry Guy’s quartet “What’s the word” is based on the similarly titled poem by Samuel Beckett. It was the last poem he wrote before his death in 1989, and it is a repetitive search for something unnamable,  constantly returning back to the notion of folly. Is folly the continued search, the loss of words or is it the beautiful state of pure humanity that is searching for something that cannot be found?

The concert ends with Haydn’s quartet “The Seven Last Words of Our Saviour on the Cross”, based on the scriptures that describe Jesus’ final moments. A timeless piece, originally composed for orchestra, this Quartet “speaks” the text with music and has moved its audience for centuries. 

The ADAM Quartet navigates through these contrasting yet interconnected works throughout the concert, where the juxtaposition of the two art  forms is the focal point. Interspersed with the instrumental performances, evocative poetry will weave its way into the musical landscape, enhancing the thematic exploration. The poetic interludes aim to deepen the audience's engagement with the searching element that is at the heart of the concert, prompting reflection on the power and nuance of language in the context of musical expression.

This program was developed during our MERITA Residency in Athens 2024 and has been performed in Naples, IT and Dublin, IR.