Cuarteto Casals has been among the absolute best in the world for over a quarter of a century. The Barcelona-based string quartet, named after the Spanish cellist, composer and conductor Pablo Casals (1876-1973), performs the great classics of the genre, but also remains true to its Spanish roots. At this concert, the names of Brahms and Boccherini will stand alongside those of compatriots Arriaga and Turina,

Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga (1806-1826), perhaps unknown to many, was considered a child prodigy. However, his talent was broken in bud: he died of tuberculosis just before his twenties. Yet in that short time Arriaga already acquired the nickname of “Spanish Mozart. He also shares his birthday – Jan. 27 – with Mozart.

La oración del torero (the prayer of the bullfighter) is a more than eight-minute composition from 1925 that Joaquín Turina (1882-1949) wrote after seeing bullfighters pray in a little chapel before the fight in the arena began. Boccherini was born in 1743 in Lucca, Italy, but lived in Spain from 1768 until his death in 1805. From him you will hear his String Quartet No. 5.

Finally, Brahms, who was mercilessly critical of his chamber music in particular. Beethoven had set the bar so high that quite a few string quartets and other chamber music works probably ended up in the fireplace. In the end, Brahms published three. You’ll hear his first at this concert.