Beethoven: String Quartets op. 59, String Quintet op. 29

This recording, by two generations of musicians from the Kuijken family (Veronica, Sigiswald, Sara and Wieland Kuijken), with my wife Marleen Thiers, 2nd viola in the quintet, was made with so-called ‘modern’ instruments. Although our name is generally linked with ‘period performance practice’, listeners should not expect or seek a deliberate, specific ‘historic’ tendency in this recording: this was not what defined our collaboration for this production… I would even venture to say that in the first place we allowed ourselves to be moved and motivated by the immense strength exuded by these Beethoven pieces, based on our own musical experience and intuition; what we shared was astonishment – and joy. As we went along we became increasingly aware that it can be a gift to have kindred genes; and that an instrument is simply an instrument, no more…

Sigiswald Kuijken