Cuarteto Casals
Source: impresariat-simmenauer.de
Since winning first prizes at the International String Quartet Competition in London and the International Johannes Brahms Competition in Hamburg, the Cuarteto Casals, founded in 1997 at the Reina Sofía Music School in Madrid, has repeatedly performed in the world’s most prestigious concert halls, such as Carnegie Hall, the Berlin Philharmonie, the Cité de la Musique in Paris, the Philharmonie Paris, the Konzerthaus and Musikverein in Vienna, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Suntory Hall, and many more.
To celebrate its 25th anniversary, the quartet released an album featuring the complete recording of J.S. Bach’s Art of Fugue, which was highly praised by the press. In the fall of 2024, the Cuarteto Casals will release its latest recording: all 15 string quartets by Dmitri Shostakovich, one of the greatest cycles of the 20th century.
After more than 27 years together, the Cuarteto Casals has an impressive discography with the label harmonia mundi. Its repertoire ranges from lesser-known Spanish composers like Arriaga and Toldrá to the Viennese classics Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert, and Brahms, as well as 20th-century giants such as Debussy, Ravel, Zemlinsky, Bartók, Ligeti, and Kurtág, including three live recordings of Schubert’s collected quartets on Blu-ray for Neu Records.
An award from the prestigious Burletti-Buitoni Foundation in London enabled the quartet to acquire a collection of bows that faithfully represent the Baroque and Classical periods. With these, the musicians can perform works from Purcell to Schubert and refine their ability to interpret different musical styles with distinctive character. The collaboration with living composers, particularly with György Kurtág, has deeply influenced the Cuarteto Casals. The quartet has also performed world premieres of string quartets by leading Spanish composers, including a new concerto for string instruments and orchestra by Francisco Coll, premiered with the Orquesta Nacional de España, as well as commissioned works by Mauricio Sotelo, Benet Casablancas, Dahoud Salim, Lucio Amanti, Aureliano Cattaneo, and Matan Porat. Furthermore, the quartet has performed John Adams’ Absolute Jest with various orchestras and will premiere Elisenda Fabregas’ Fiery Earth at the Palau de la Música Catalana in 2025.
In recognition of its unique contribution to the cultural life of Catalonia and Spain, the Cuarteto Casals has been honored by the Catalan Autonomous Government, the Institut Ramon Lull, and the Ministry of Culture as cultural ambassadors. In the past, it has received awards such as the Premio Nacional de Música, the Premi Nacional de Cultura de Catalunya, and the Premi Ciutat Barcelona. Each year, the quartet also performs on the exceptional collection of Stradivari string instruments at the Royal Palace in Madrid. To celebrate its decades of concert activity, the Cuarteto Casals was awarded the prestigious honorary medal from Queen Sofía of Spain.
In addition to the much-coveted masterclasses it offers, the quartet holds residencies at the Koninklijk Conservatorium in The Hague, the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole, and the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya in Barcelona for all four members.
Starting with the 2024/25 season, the Cuarteto Casals welcomes Cristina Cordero as its new violist.