Takács Quartet: Tiny Desk 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 Dusinberre, 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
Audio Technical Director: Josh Newell
Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Sofia Seidel
Audio Engineer: Hannah Gluvna
Production Assistant: Dora Levite
Photographer: Grace Raver
Tiny Desk Team: Ashley Pointer, Kara Frame
Series Editor: Lars Gotrich
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins

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