Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, “Diotima” is considered one of the most sought-after string quartets of today. The ensemble is constantly invited to perform in the world’s most prestigious concert halls and festivals: it began its anniversary season with a residency at the prestigious Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, and among its most important performances are concerts at the Pierre Boulez Saal in Berlin, Wigmore Hall in London, the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, and the Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid.
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The quartet’s performances consistently receive exceptional critical acclaim – “The Strad” wrote after one of their concerts: “After this performance, I would gladly listen to any music performed by “Diotima””, and “The Guardian” described their performance as “inspiring”.
Since its inception, “Diotima” has collaborated closely with the most prominent contemporary composers, but alongside a rich repertoire of modern music, the quartet has also gained recognition for its interpretations of classical masterpieces – performing works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Schubert, Arnold Schoenberg, Alban Berg, Anton Webern, Leoš Janáček, Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, and Béla Bartók. At the quartet’s initiative, numerous premieres of works by the most distinguished contemporary composers have taken place – by Tristan Murail, Toshio Hosokawa, Alberto Posadas, Mauro Lanza, Gérard Pesson, Rebecca Saunders, Miroslav Srnka, and many other creators, and perhaps the most significant creative friendship of the quartet was marked by the collaboration, born at the very beginning of its activity, with modern music luminaries Pierre Boulez and Helmut Lachenmann, who regarded this quartet as exceptional.
In 2023, the “Diotima” quartet joined one of the most prestigious independent record labels, “Pentatone”, releasing an album dedicated to the works of 20th-century music master György Ligeti. The ensemble’s recordings have won prestigious “Diapason d’Or” awards and the Grand Prize of the German Music Critics’ Association. Last season, in addition to concerts in major European concert halls, the quartet also toured Japan, China, Mexico, Colombia, Armenia, and presented various world premieres by renowned composers Georges Aperghis, Christian Mason, Dmitri Kourliandski, Ana Lara.
At the “Diotima” concert in Vilnius, one of the most famous and personal works by the American minimalism “guru” Steve Reich, “Different Trains”, will be performed. As a child, the composer constantly traveled by train between New York and Los Angeles, visiting his divorced parents. However, many years later he realized a startling coincidence: at the same time in Europe, thousands of Jews were being transported to Nazi concentration camps. Born in Europe, he himself would have traveled on completely “different trains”. It was this realization that inspired his “Different Trains”. In this work of extraordinary emotional tension, using authentic recordings of voices and train sounds, Reich juxtaposes two simultaneous yet completely different experiences – a safe childhood in America and the tragedy of the Holocaust in Europe.
Also in the program of this two-part concert, alongside other works, will be performed the piece “Epitaphs for String Quintet” by the renowned Australian composer Brett Dean, with the composer himself, an excellent violist, joining the quartet for its performance. The works of Brett Dean, who has lived in Europe for over a decade, are performed by the world’s most famous orchestras and conductors, including Sir Simon Rattle, Vladimir Jurowski, Simone Young, Daniel Harding, Andris Nelsons, Marin Alsop, Sakari Oramo, although he himself is also an excellent conductor.
In 2009, Brett Dean won the prestigious Grawemeyer Award for his Violin Concerto – arguably the largest award in the world for creators. He was also a resident composer for the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Wigmore Hall. Recordings of his works have been released by the most renowned classical music labels – “BIS”, “Chandos”, “Warner Classics”, “ECM Records”, and “ABC Classics”.
A concert by one of the world’s best quartets, “Diotima”, will take place on November 5th at the National Philharmonic, featuring the renowned Australian creator and performer Brett Dean.
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