Dance of the Birds

How does non-Western rhythm sound in a string quartet? Ragazze Quartet delves into the world of irregular time signatures, layered rhythms, destabilising timing, centuries-old traditions and cultures from around the world. They integrate these into one of the most deeply rooted chamber music forms in Western classical music: the string quartet. By opening up the quartet to Indian, Argentinean, Caribbean, Syrian, West African and Serbian traditional musical influences, the Ragazze Quartet champions the future of classical music: one without borders.

The colourful programme Dance of the Birds focuses specifically on rhythms from other cultures. The quartet plays works by Alberto Ginastera, Zakir Hussain, Kinan Azmeh, Fred Onovwerosuoke, Aleksandra Vrebalov and a new commissioned work by Vernon Chatlein.

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Strijkkwartet No.1 by Alberto Ginastera

The Ragazze Quartet performed as one of the artists at the 2026 King’s Day Concert in Dokkum. One of the pieces they played was Alberto Ginastera’s String Quartet No. 1, Movement 4, a work wherein rhythms of Argentine folk music can still be perceived through a re-creation of an imaginary folklore.

Ginastera wrote the work in Buenos Aires in 1948 and describes it as follows: “In this Quartet I find that some characteristics of my own articistic personality materialize for the first time: strong and incisive rythms, adagios that are anxiety-ridden, lyrical and contemplative and atmospheres that are mysterious, nocturnal and surrealistic.”

Great hhanks to the TV programme Podium Klassiek for posting the recording of the concert on their YouTube channel (video on the left).

Pannonia Boundless byAleksandra Vrebalov

One of the works in this programme is the string quartet Pannonia Boundless. Aleksandra Vrebalov, who was born in Serbia, based the piece on gypsy melodies and playing techniques from the Pannonian region, a lowland area in Central Europe that borders Serbia, among other countries. She composed it as a tribute to gypsy music.

Aleksandra Vrebalov draws inspiration for her compositions primarily from personal experiences and questions of identity, place and connection. Having grown up during the wars in the former Yugoslavia, she explores the tension between public and private heroism in her music. Vrebalov draws on the musical traditions of the places where she has lived and which she has visited — from the Balkans to the US and the Middle East — resulting in a rich blend of styles and colours.

Aleksandra Vrebalov works in a very visual way. Her compositions usually start with a colourful drawing that shows what a new work looks like in her head. In the video on the right, she shows how she works and how she translates her drawings into music.

Listen to Pannonia Boundless

Kinan Azmeh

The work Dabke on Martense Street reflects how Kinan Azmeh shapes his connection with places. He describes how Martense Street in Brooklyn, his home base, became his entire physical world during the 2020 pandemic. While that reality shrank, his imagination grew. From that inner space emerged a fictional Dabke dance, inspired by the Syrian circle dance from his other homeland. The piece depicts an imaginary celebration of neighbours and strangers coming together on the street, holding hands again and dancing.