Takács Quartet: Tiny Desk Concert

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Show Description

Takács Quartet: Tiny Desk Concert with tags npr, npr music, national public radio, live, performance, tiny desk, tiny desk concert, tony desk, tiny concert

Tom Huizenga | July 7, 2025

Planning a concert tour is a big deal, and choosing just the right venues is crucial. The esteemed Takács Quartet, mapping out its 50th anniversary tour, made several dozen stops, including Seoul, London, Milan, Vancouver, plus a special visit to play behind a desk in our Washington, D.C. office. Needless to say, we were honored.

Takács cellist András Fejér is the sole original member of the string quartet. He commands a goldmine of institutional memory, from co-founding the group in communist Hungary in the early 1970s, to the band's 1986 defection to Boulder, Colo. (where the members continue to teach), to winning a Grammy in 2003, to the departure of band members (from death and retirement), to the addition of violist Richard O'Neill in 2020.

This Takács set is a microcosm of the band's broad-minded programming creed. They begin in the 18th century with Haydn, the pioneer of the string quartet, finding humor in his false cadences, while passing themes to each other like delicious canapes on a tray. Then it's a quirky waltz, from a new quartet written for Takács by Nokuthula Ngwenyama. And finally, a shimmering gem of the repertoire, a plucky and magical movement from Ravel's 1903 String Quartet in F.

"We feel lucky to play string quartets," violinist Edward Dusiberre, who joined the group 32 years ago, tells the NPR audience. "Somehow the medium inspires composers to express themselves in their most daring, imaginative and humorous ways." And for 50 years, the Takács Quartet has been the eloquent voice of those expressive composers.

SET LIST

Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in D minor, Op. 42: IV. Finale

Nokuthula Ngwenyama: Flow: III. Quark Scherzo

Maurice Ravel: String Quartet in F major: II. Assez vif - très rythmé

MUSICIANS

Edward Dusinberre: violin

Harumi Rhodes: violin

Richard O'Neill: viola

András Fejér: cello

TINY DESK TEAM

Producer: Tom Huizenga

Director/Editor: Maia Stern