Yang Yang Cai & Otilka Quartet

The Otilka String Quartet, the newly crowned winner of the 2026 Kersjes Prize, is renowned for its compelling performances, and promises a captivating interpretation of Brahms’s Piano Quintet. According to the jury, their playing sounds “like a fascinating conversation between four original and musical friends who listen and respond to one another.” The quartet will share the stage at De Duif with pianist Yang Yang Cai, who was nominated for the Grachtenfestival Prize in 2021. She will take on the solo role in Mozart’s delicate Piano Concerto.

The program features two masterpieces: Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 and Brahms’s Piano Quintet. Originally written for piano and orchestra, Mozart’s concerto takes on an intimate and transparent character in this chamber music arrangement. Brahms’s quintet, by contrast, is so grand in scale and complex in structure that it approaches the symphonic. In this monumental work, all five musicians play an equal role, creating a powerful counterpart to Mozart’s refined and lyrical solo concerto.

Musicians
Yang Yang Cai piano

Otilka String Quartet
Iris van Nuland violin
Lucien Renette violin
Elin Haver viola
Stefano Bruno cello