ConcertPulse
Guest performance
Philharmonie Berlin, Main Auditorium (Berlin)
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The Arditti Quartet is the leading string quartet of the modern age. Its musicians have premiered more than 1,000 works since 1974 and collaborated with a number of legendary 20th- and 21st-century composers, including György Ligeti, Sofia Gubaidulina, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Iannis Xenakis and Pierre Boulez. In 2017, they were given the honour of being the first string quartet to perform in the Elbphilharmonie Recital Hall. The Arditti Quartet now returns to that concert hall to celebrate its 50th anniversary. In two 70-minute segments, the four musicians pack in the most exciting pieces the contemporary music scene has to offer: from the video-animated sounds of Olga Neuwirth and Elliott Carter’s challenging String Quartet No. 3 to the timbral experimentations of Rebecca Saunders, to whom the Elbphilharmonie is dedicating an extensive spotlight this season. In conversation, the musicians also share rare insights into their work and look back at an eventful half a century. A defining moment of contemporary music.