Cuarteto Casals 2024 US Tour in Cleveland

Cuarteto Casals, the award-winning Spanish string quartet, will perform works by Brahms, Mozart, and Sofia Gubaidulina at Plymouth Church in Cleveland.

Cuarteto Casals, established in 1997 at the Escuela Reina Sofía in Madrid, gained international acclaim after winning First Prizes at the London and Brahms-Hamburg competitions. They have performed at prestigious venues worldwide, including Carnegie Hall and the Philharmonie in Berlin and Paris.

To celebrate their 25th anniversary, the quartet released a celebrated recording of J.S. Bach’s Art of Fugue and is currently recording all 15 quartets by Dmitri Shostakovich, with a release planned for fall 2024. Over their 27 years, they have built a significant discography with Harmonia Mundi, featuring works by both lesser-known Spanish composers and classical giants like Mozart, Beethoven, and Brahms, as well as 20th-century figures like Debussy and Bartok.

The quartet has enhanced its performances with Baroque and Classical period bows, thanks to a prize from the Burletti-Buitoni Trust. Their collaborations with contemporary composers have led to world premieres, including works by Francisco Coll and commissions from several notable Spanish composers. They are set to premiere Elisenda Fabregas’s Fiery Earth in 2025.

Recognized as cultural ambassadors by the Generalitat of Catalunya and the Institut Ramon Llull, Cuarteto Casals has received numerous accolades, including the Premio Nacional de Música. They frequently perform on Stradivarius instruments and have been honored with the Medal of Honor from Reina Sofía of Spain. The quartet is active in media and education, offering masterclasses and serving as the quartet in residence at the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole, the Koninklijk Conservatorium Den Haag, and at the Escola Superior de Musica de Catalunya in Barcelona.

Program

• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Streichquartett Nr. 20 D-Dur KV 499 “Hoffmeister-Quartett”
• Sofia Asgatova Gubaidulina: Reflections on B.A.C.H. for string quartet
• Johannes Brahms: Streichquartett Nr. 1 c-Moll op. 51 Nr. 1