Seven Commissions

50 years of the Arditti Quartet. But even half a century at the top of the world music scene is only a count of years, and therefore fleeting. Likewise, the title "50 years ..." does not seem particularly viable. The following lists can only be wrong, some expect a "best off well known" (which must turn out very differently in the selection), others are disappointed because they know everything and miss something new. From the very first moment, this polarizes, does not open new doors, does not keep known ones open. Is the string quartet (already) a "historical" or a "historicizing" genre? Or is there a still current compositional idea behind the term string quartet that prompts composers to write that goes beyond the "use" of these four instruments in particular? The Arditti Quartet seeks answers to these questions from and with composers with whom the quartet has never worked before, as well as others who have long accompanied and shaped the ensemble's artistic life.

In 2024, the Arditti Quartet will play anniversary concerts in Berlin, Hamburg, Paris, Vienna, Huddersfield, Tokyo and Krakow, among others. Seven commissioned compositions by Chaya Czernowin, Toshio Hosokawa, Andrzej Kwieciński, Sarah Nemtsov, Hilda Paredes, Stefan Prins and Diana Soh, sponsored by the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation, will be created for this occasion.

Further information:
ardittiquartet.com

Dates

March 7, 2024
Pierre Boulez Saal, Berlin

May 11, 2024
Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg

October 17, 2024
Philharmonie de Paris

October 25, 2024
Concert Hall of the NOSPR, Katowice

September 2024
Tokyo Suntory Hall

November 1 and 2, 2024
Wien Modern

November 16 and 17, 2024
Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival

November 21, 2024
Philharmonie Luxembourg