Cuarteto Casals
Bach: The Art of the Fugue
Anniversary celebrations
Cuarteto Casals have been performing regularly in the world’s most prestigious concert halls since 1997. To mark their 25th anniversary, the four Catalan musicians now come to Hamburg to perform one of the most important works in music history: J. S. Bach’s »The Art of Fugue«.
»The Art of Fugue« is an unfinished cycle of 14 fugues and four canons. All of these movements are based on a single theme with different variations. In order to clearly illustrate the progression of the voices, Bach notated each voice in the individual fugues and canons on a notation system of its own.
It remains unclear to this day for which instrument or ensemble Bach composed the cycle, so it is performed in various instrumentations: on the harpsichord, the piano and as an ensemble. When played by a string quartet, the fugues sound particularly spectacular, almost orchestral. Especially so when a quartet as dedicated to excellence as Cuarteto Casals is performing.
Performers
Cuarteto Casals
Vera Martínez Mehner violin
Abel Tomàs violin
Jonathan Brown viola
Arnau Tomàs violoncello
Programme
Johann Sebastian Bach
Die Kunst der Fuge BWV 1080
Subscription
String Quartets