They just celebrated their 25th anniversary and will now be performing two concerts at Beethovenfest 2024 - Cuarteto Casals are one of the best string quartets in the world and will be honouring us with the Residentie Orkest, among others. We asked them a few questions about playing together in a string quartet.
The motto of Beethovenfest Bonn 2024 is »Together«. How does togetherness work in a quartet? How much individuality and how much adaptation do you need?
Strinq quartet is a teamwork, but of course it is important to keep the strong personality of each member at the same time … The key is finding a common language and the right method to rehearse.
In your first concert at the festival, you and the Residentie Orkest will play the minimal music piece »Absolute Jest« by John Adams. What do you pay attention to when playing with an orchestra?
In this particular work, we pay attention in playing together in the quartet as a small group and together with the big group of the orchestra. But for that, we need a very efficient conductor because of the complexity of the piece.
The second concert has a purist program: Bach’s keyboard work »The Art of Fugue« arranged for string quartet is a work in which all four parts are composed as equal and independent voices. How do you create a coherent interpretation together?
By rehearsing a lot together and discussing the character and the priorities of every fugue.
Is the string quartet a democratic ensemble? Can we also learn from it for society?
Absolutely, it is democratic, at least in our case, and at the same time it is a very good school for life and interaction between people.
If the Cuarteto Casals were a stage character, how would you describe it? Are there any peculiarities or a personality of your ensemble?
To play together and as one instrument is not our goal. Playing together is the consequence of the common understanding of every language in music.
Cuarteto Casals at the festival 2024
, University of Bonn, Aula
Residentie Orkest & Cuarteto Casals
OrchestraResidentie Orkest Den Haag, Cuarteto Casals, Anja Bihlmaier
Beethoven, Adams