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Did Beethoven write idiomatically for the string quartet?
The Casals Quartet has embarked on a large-scale Beethoven cycle, both in the studio and on tour to celebrate its 20th anniversary. The players speak to Richard Wigmore about the demands of the repertoire, which in so many ways was ahead of its time
The following is an extract of a longer article in The Strad’s April 2018 issue. To read further, download now on desktop computer, or buy the print edition
A Beethoven cycle is a summit to be scaled by any string quartet worth its salt, and to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its foundation, the Casals Quartet – three parts Spanish, one part American – has embarked on what second violinist Vera Martínez Mehner calls ‘the Kilimanjaro’ of the repertoire with performances of their Beethoven Illuminated Anew series across Europe and Asia (2017–18 and 2018–19 seasons), and a three-album recorded cycle for Harmonia Mundi (2018–20). Says leader Abel Tomàs, ‘In the end, why Beethoven quartets are so uniquely great is that they compel you to look inside yourself and discover more about yourself than you knew before.
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