»Is there a typical Cuarteto Casals sound? Definitely. It is characterised by an extremely filigree illumination of the score and a multi-layered sound that always has something fluorescent and glassy about it.«
Alexander Dick, Badische Zeitung, September 2022
Since winning first prizes at the International String Quartet Competition in London and the International Johannes Brahms Competition in Hamburg, the Cuarteto Casals, which was founded in 1997 at the Reina Sofía Music Academy in Madrid, has repeatedly performed in the world’s most prestigious concert halls, such as Carnegie Hall, the Philharmonie Berlin, the Cité da la Musique Paris, the Philharmonie Paris, the Konzerthaus and the Musikverein in Vienna, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Suntory Hall and many more.
To celebrate its 25th anniversary, the quartet released an album with the complete recording of J. S. Bach’s »The Art of Fugue«, which was highly praised by the press. The Cuarteto Casalsְ’ latest recording will be released in autumn 2024: all 15 string quartets by Dmitri Shostakovich, one of the greatest cycles of the 20th century.
The quartet has an impressive discography of 17 CDs to date on the harmonia mundi music label. The repertoire ranges from lesser-known Spanish composers such as Arriaga and Toldrá to the Viennese classics of Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert and Brahms and the greats of the 20th century.
An award from the prestigious Burletti-Buitoni Foundation in London has enabled the quartet to create a collection of bows that are faithful to the Baroque and Classical eras. With these, the musicians can play works from Purcell to Schubert and refine their ability to interpret the different musical styles in a particularly characteristic way.
The collaboration with living composers, above all with György Kurtág, has had an intensive influence on the Cuarteto Casals. It has also performed the world premières of quartets by leading Spanish composers, including a new concerto for strings and orchestra by Francisco Coll, which was premièred with the Orquesta Nacional de España. In recognition of its unique contribution to cultural life in Catalonia and throughout Spain, the Cuarteto Casals was awarded the title of Cultural Ambassador by the Autonomous Government of Catalonia, the Institut Ramon Lull and the Ministry of Culture.
In addition to the much sought-after masterclasses that the quartet gives, it also holds teaching residencies at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole and the Escola Superior de Musica de Catalunya in Barcelona for all four members.
At the start of the 2024/25 season, the Cuarteto Casals welcomes Cristina Cordero on the viola.