Voces Intimae

In Voces Intimae, the Ragazze Quartet interweaves three musical voices from the north: the timeless power of Scandinavian folk music, the abstract, almost physical poetry of the recently deceased Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho, and the introspective lyricism of Jean Sibelius. Folk melodies, passed down through memory and tradition, form the roots of the programme.

Jean Sibelius’ string quartet Voces Intimae is an intimate conversation between voices from the past and present. The title refers both to the intimacy of the string quartet and to the inner voice of Sibelius. A work full of melancholy, reflection and inner peace, with many references to the folk music tradition.

Where Sibelius’ Voces Intimae refers to an intimate conversation between voices from the past and present, Saariaho’s string quartet Terra Memoria explores how memory lives on in sound: changeable, tangible, sometimes painfully clear. She describes how we continue to hear the voices of those who are no longer with us: their lives are complete, but they live on in our memories and our feelings about them continue to change.

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Nathalie’s selection

Nathalie Flintrop became the new cellist of the Ragazze Quartet at the end of 2024. This Belgian-Dutch cellist, who lives in Amsterdam, obtained her Master’s degree at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam with Pieter Wispelwey in 2024. In addition to being a highly talented chamber musician, she is also a true creator and emerging composer. Watch her composition I Can See It Now for two cellos and drone, performed live at the Cello Biennale Amsterdam 2022, via the link below.

Nathalie Flintrop brought her love for Scandinavian music into the quartet and put together the programme for Voces Intimae. During her time at the conservatory, her fascination with Sibelius grew, leading to the reconstruction and composition of a missing part of Sibelius’s unfinished string trio (not part of this programme).

About Nathalie Flintrop I Can See It Now

Northern European Folk Melodies

Scandinavia has a rich folk music tradition, as evidenced by the enormous number of beautiful, often melancholic pieces that have been passed down through oral traditions and collective memories. They tell stories about nature, the sea, and human emotions. It is no coincidence that Scandinavia is, in terms of its musical tradition. referred to as “the Ireland of the North”.

On the left you find the Spotify album by the Danish String Quartet Last Leaf, featuring various arrangements of Danish folk music for string quartet. Some of these pieces are on the programme of Voces Intimae.