Benten Hyakudo [annex] no.2 Four-stringed accompaniment (yongen zuizou)

When people say "French quartets from the Romantic period," it doesn't really spring to mind.... It's not that there was no writing at all, but during this period, people tended to focus on opera and ballet.
In the second year of the "Benten String Quartet Hall," we will introduce works by Debussy and Ravel that you may be familiar with, but which may make you think, "Oh, he wrote a quartet, too? The name of the venue is also French, which is just as well. Yes, the name of the venue is also French, which is just right!

---The name of the venue is also French!

Benten Hyakudo" is a project started in 2003 as a "gathering place" to challenge ensembles of various compositions together with fellow musicians.
Under the call of a weekend-only viola player (the ringleader), many music lovers, including amateur orchestra members, colleagues and juniors at universities and workplaces, and family members, have participated in the project.

Since its inaugural performance in March 2004, the orchestra has held regular performances [at the main building] approximately once a year, although there was a four-year break in the middle of the season. The theme of each performance is different, and the music is characterized by a broad selection of both well-known and obscure pieces.
In parallel, the Annex series (from 2020), which focuses on specific composers and compositions, and the Annex series (from 2022), which specializes in string quartets, are being planned. A wider range of programs can now be accommodated.

Benten" refers to Benzaiten, who is revered as the god of music, eloquence, and wisdom. The name "Hyakkodo" is a reference to the department store that sells everything, a place where a wide variety of programs can be realized, and a gathering place for amateur musicians (i.e., "hima-jin").