Castalian String Quartet Presented by Liszt Academy

Castalian String Quartet, who since their foundation in 2011 have just gained in popularity, bring together the citizens of four different nations. The Finnish, Irish, Welsh and English musicians decided to go with an apt name for the ensemble since in Greek mythology, Castalia is the source of poetic inspiration and works written for the string quartet are perhaps closest to poetry in their complexity, meticulous elaboration, subjectivity and mystery. The musicians have compiled the most brilliant works: the final string quartets from Mozart and Schubert, including Schubert’s sadly rarely performed albeit totally breathtaking masterpiece in terms of its dimensions and proportions. Sandwiched between the two Austrian masters is the string quartet by the 30-year-old György Ligeti composed while still living in Budapest and inspired by the art of Bartók. It comprises 17 successive sections and bears the mystical subtitle ‘Metamorphoses nocturnes’.