HAYDN: String Quartet No. 35 in F minor, Op. 20 No. 5, Hob. III:35
SHOSTAKOVICH: String Quartet No. 4 in D major, Op. 83
SCHUBERT: String Quartet No. 14 in D minor, D. 810, Death and the Maiden
CUARTETO CASALS
Vera Martínez Mehner, violin
Abel Tomàs Realp, violin
Cristina Cordero, viola
Arnau Tomàs Realp, cello
The Cuarteto Casals, one of the leading ensembles on the international chamber music scene, has established itself as one of the world’s foremost string quartets over nearly thirty years of activity. Founded in 1997 at the Escuela Reina Sofía in Madrid, Cuarteto Casals is a regular guest at many prestigious concert halls, including Carnegie Hall in New York, the Berliner Philharmonie, Philharmonie de Paris, the Konzerthaus and Musikverein in Vienna, the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and Suntory Hall in Tokyo.
Cuarteto Casals’ deep commitment to the essence of each composition is reflected in a discography of around twenty albums for Harmonia Mundi, ranging from works by Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Schubert and Brahms to the complete Beethoven string quartets and twentieth-century masters such as Debussy, Ravel, Bartók and Ligeti.
London’s prestigious Borletti-Buitoni Trust enabled Cuarteto Casals to assemble a collection of Baroque and Classical bows, which the ensemble uses for repertoire ranging from Purcell to Schubert, further refining its ability to distinguish between different musical styles.
Cuarteto Casals has also been profoundly influenced by its work with living composers, particularly György Kurtág, and has given world premieres of quartets by leading Spanish composers. These include Francisco Coll’s Concerto for String Quartet and Orchestra, performed with the Orquesta Nacional de España, as well as works by Mauricio Sotelo, Benet Casablancas, Dahoud Salim, Lucio Amanti, Elisenda Fábregas, Aureliano Cattaneo and Matan Porat.
During the 2025/26 season, Cuarteto Casals embarked on a major project: the complete performance of Shostakovich’s string quartets, both in recordings and in live performances around the world. The ensemble also toured North America and Europe, performing at venues including the Pierre Boulez Saal in Berlin, the Gulbenkian in Lisbon, Wigmore Hall in London, Konserthuset in Stockholm, the String Quartet Biennale in Amsterdam and the Musikverein in Vienna.
Alongside its concert activity, Cuarteto Casals is deeply committed to teaching, giving lessons and masterclasses at the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole, the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya in Barcelona and the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague.
Cuarteto Casals has received honours including the National Music Prize, the National Culture Prize of Catalonia and the City of Barcelona Prize. The ensemble has had the honour of performing on the legendary Stradivarius instruments at the Royal Palace of Madrid and, in recognition of its artistic excellence and lasting legacy, was awarded the Medal of Honour by Queen Sofía of Spain.
Cuarteto Casals also proudly serves as a cultural ambassador for the Generalitat de Catalunya and the Institut Ramon Llull.
Photo © Pablo Rodrigo
