Arcanto Quartett

Perhaps the name of the Arcanto Quartet doesn't immediately ring any bells, but nevertheless it is far from unknown. Chances are that you've heard them playing as soloists or in chamber music. When they played together as a quartet for the first time a few years ago, they enjoyed it so much that they decided to form a group. An excellent decision, as these skilled musicians are perfectly attuned to each other, and on the same wavelength. Rarely will you witness quartet playing of such a high standard. The quartet in C, KV465 by Mozart is the last of the quartet cycles he dedicated to Haydn. The nickname 'Dissonance quartet' refers to the daring harmonies Mozart used - which his contemporaries considered to be completely out of tune. One and a half centuries later, Anton Webern had the same experience. His 'Six Bagatelles' represent him the height of his aphoristic style. By employing simple devices, Webern obtains maximum expression in a timeframe of less than four minutes. What with his perfectionism and feeling intimidated by Beethoven's mastery, it took twenty years for Johannes Brahms to complete his first string quartet.