EntreQuatre
Carlos Cuanda / Carmen Cuello / Manuel Paz / Jesús Prieto
Founding group of the Spanish Association of Instrumental Groups and Specialized Vocals.
1984 / 2004
In 2004, EntreQuatre celebrated its 20th anniversary with two of the most important musical events in its history: firstly, they toured
Spain
performing in the most important cultural centres with the prestigious Mexican string quartet Cuarteto Latinoamericano. During that tour, they released three works and were enthusiastically applauded by both critics and public everywhere they performed. Secondly, their recent performance at Carnegie Hall in
New York
consisting of Spanish and Latin-American music especially written for the Quartet was widely acclaimed.
In 1984, four guitarists friends started performing together unaware that over the years they would become a very well established and original chamber music ensemble in the world of contemporary music in
Spain
. Since then, EntreQuatre has inspired the creation of new works for four guitars, having released over forty of them. The authors of these works are Miguel de Aguila, Moisés Arnáiz, Imanol Bageneta, José Luis Barroso, Gustavo Becerra-Schmit, Alejandro Cardona, Enrico Chapela, Flores Chabiano, Fernando Colás, Carlos Cruz de Castro, Francisco Cuenca, María Escribano, Gabriel Fernández, Álvez, Orlando J. García, José Mª García Laborda, Radamés Gnatalli, Agustín González Acilo, Rey Guerra, Fredrick Kaufman, Marisa Manchado, Leonardo Sánchez, Raúl do Valle.
EntreQuatre has toured throughout Europe, the
United States of America
, South America as well as
South Africa
and
India
.
They have participated in the following Festivals: the I Andrés Segovia in Memoriam, organized by the General Society of Authors and Editors, the X Guitar Festival of Rotemburg (Germany), the Guitar Festival of Aveiro (Portugal), the VI Contemporary Music Festival of Salamanca, the XIII International Contemporary Music Festival of Alicante, the Music Festival FIU 99 of Miami, the International Festival of Santander, the Donostierra Musical Fortnight and the Spanish-Portuguese Music Peninsula festival where the “Concierto de Tierra Alta” by Luis Barroso was first performed.
In November 1989, they performed at the
Warsaw
National
Museum
. In January 1992, they presented for the first time “Cristalería Barroca” by Carlos Cruz de Castro and “¿6x4?” by Marisa Manchado at the Reina Sofía Contemporary Arts Centre in
Madrid
. In February 1997, they performed for the first time “Voyage” by María Escribano and in
Paris
“Aquí lejos y hace tiempo” by Leonardo Sánchez. In January 1997, they inaugurated a cycle of guitar quartets at the Juan March Foundation, with the première of “Sonata de
Temple
” by García Laborda and “Cuarteto nº
1”
by Radamé Gnatalli. In December 1998, they performed the première in
Miami
of the “Concierto para cuatro guitarras “A García Lorca in memoriam” by Gabriel Fdez. Álvarez. In October 1999, they introduced “4 Asimetrías” by Orlado J. García and “Catalan Concertante” by Fredrick Kaufman at the Príncipe Felipe Auditorium in
Oviedo
. In November 1999, they toured the
USA
for the second time performing recitals in
Washington
,
D.C.
, at the United Nations in
New York
, in Chicago and
Miami
. From 2000 to 2005, they performed numerous concerts throughout Europe, the
United States
and IberoAmerica.
In 1989, they started performing with other musical groups, namely the Príncipe de Asturias Choir with the première of “Son de Negros en
Cuba
” by Flores Chaviano, with tours in
Germany
and
Poland
. In February 1994, they performed for the first time the “Concierto para Cuatro Guitarras y Orquesta” commissioned by the Centre for the Diffusion of Contemporary Music, also by Flores Chaviano, with the Symphonic Orchestra of the Principality of Asturias. In December 1997, with that same group, they performed the “Concierto Ibérico” for four guitars and orchestra by F. Moreno-Torroba and in 2000, they recorded the “Concierto para cuatro guitarras” by Maestro Rodrigo on the
Naxos
label. They have also performed with the Saint Cecily Orchestra in
Dublin
, the National Orchestra of El Salvador, the Cochabamba Symphonic Orchestra, the Montevideo Philharmonic Orchestra and the Lisbon Metropolitan Orchestra.
Joseph McLellan of the Washington Post wrote: “….EntreQuatre, a virtuoso guitar quartet that also opened the program with several instrumental works of Chaviano. These works, ranging in style from folk song imitations to avant-garde experiments using extended performance techniques, were played with panache and effortless technique”.
Cuarteto Latinoamericano (Latin American Quartet )
String Quartet
Founded in
Mexico
in 1981, this Quartet is unique on the international scene in that it spreads the musical creation of
Latin America
in the world’s main musical centres. Consisting of three brothers, violinists Saúl and Arón Bitrán, and cellist Álvaro Bitrán as well as violist Javier Montiel, the Latin American Quartet has been praised by The Times of London as possessing an instinct that definitely ranks it among the most important string quartets” and, according to the Houston Chronicle, “they are one of the best string quartets that we have heard in years”…In 1983, the Mexican Critiques Association awarded them their Annual Prize and in 2000, they were the recipient of a special recognition by the said Association for their outstanding artistic trajectory. The Quartet regularly performs throughout Europe, North America, and
Latin America
. In 2000, they were awarded the Mozart Medal by the Domecq Cultural Foundation, the Embassy of Austria and several cultural Mexican institutions. The San Francisco Chronicle described them as a “first class ensemble, with a passionate character”.
The Latin American Quartet has played a decisive role in the education and training of string instrumentalists in
Mexico
. It is currently teaching in affiliation with the National Arts Centre in
Mexico
, the
School
of
Initiation
to Music of the Ollin Yoliztli Cultural Ensemble and the
Carnegie
Mellon
University
in
Pittsburgh
,
USA
where their members have been hired as Resident Quartet and Professors since 1987. They regularly give lectures on chamber music as well as conferences on Latin American music in American and
Canadian
Universities
.
The Latin American Quartet has recorded most of the vast repertory of Latin String composers as well as works by Ravel, Grieg, Borodin, Gershwin and Puccini, among others. They have already recorded over 30 CD’s. They also produce recordings under the labels Elan, New Albion, Quindecim, Luzam, Urtext, Innova, Opción Sónica. They have recorded all the 17 Quartets of Villalobos for the Dorian label which they performed in a five-concert cycle in several cities. The sixth volume of those quartets was nominated twice for the 2002 Grammy Award: as best recording of chamber music and as best record of Latin concert music. Other recordings include the whole works for quartets by Revueltas, Chávez,
Ponce
, Ginastera, Halffter and Enríquez.
Their first compact disc with Elan (2218) was selected by the New York Times as one of the best works released in 1989. It was also praised by the musical journals Schwann, Music and Musicians and Fanfare as well as in Le Monde de
la Musique.
In
November 1992, the Quartet produced the first recording of the Concerto Grosso for quartet and orchestra by Julián Orbón with the Simón Bolívar Symphonic Orchestra of Venezuela under the direction of Eduardo Mata, for the Dorian label. This work has been performed by the Quartet with the Symphonic Orchestras of Dallas and
San Antonio
, the National Arts Centre in
Ottawa
and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra directed by Esa-Pekka Salonen, among others.
Cellist Janos Starker, guitarist Narciso Yepes, tenor Ramón Vargas and pianists Cyprien Katsaris and Rudolph Buchbinder are among the numerous artists invited to perform with the Latin American Quartet.
In 1991, the mayors of Pitttsburgh and
Toronto
paid tribute to the Quartet declaring a “Latin American Quartet Day” in both cities.
Several reports and articles have been written about the Quartet, namely by the musical journal Strad (January 1977 cover) and Chamber Music America, as well as in major radio and television stations in North America, Latin America and Europe.
They recently performed in concerts at the Wellington Festival in
New Zealand
, in
Milan
(Teatro alla Scala),
Amsterdam
,
Bonn
,
Brussels
,
Luxembourg
,
Montreal
,
Madrid
,
Buenos Aires
,
Caracas
, Los Angeles Miami,
Boston
,
Washington
and
New York
(Carnegie Hall). The New York Times wrote: “…superb artists, extraordinarily versatile when responding to the exigencies of the various musical scores…”
