Glorious quarter century of the 'Casals'

Vera Martínez, Abel Tomàs, Jonathan Brown and Arnau Tomàs form one of the most important string quartets of recent decades, with international performances highly valued by critics and audiences, and under the recording auspices of the select Harmonia Mundi. A priori, it would not seem easy to carry the name of our most international and influential musician, but the truth is that the ensemble, founded in 1997, has garnered an enormous number of awards and recognitions, with performances in such mythical venues as Carnegie Hall in New York, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Wigmore Hall in London or the Musikverein in Vienna.

The Barcelona audience has the privilege of being able to listen to them assiduously, either at the Palau de la Música or —even more frequently— at L'Auditori. In fact, the 22/23 music season opens with their prominence in the 2nd Biennal de Quartets, acting as the articulating axis of a series of proposals that showcase the possibilities of the chamber formation composed of two violins, viola and cello.

--- A real pleasure to talk with you, Jonathan, this is a very special year for the Casals Quartet.

--- Yes, it's been 25 years since the quartet was created, although I joined in 2002. Since then we have been a very stable formation, without changes. There are few active string quartets that have kept the same musicians for so long, and we are proud of it!

--- Since its creation, what have been the fundamental moments for the quartet's evolution?

--- Well, after leaving the Reina Sofía School in Madrid and doing some masterclasses, the quartet won several national competitions. In addition, in 2000 it won the London international competition and in 2002 the Johannes Brahms international competition in Hamburg. Without a doubt, the training with the Alban Berg Quartett in Cologne was also decisive. Hours and hours of hard and intense work. From then on, and despite the difficult beginnings, the quartet won several national competitions and was a finalist in other international ones. Shortly after, I joined, through the violinist Rainer Schmidt —from the Hagen Quartett—, at the time when Harmonia Mundi became interested in us.

--- What was the first recording the record company asked you for?

--- It was a very good idea that they asked us to record the three quartets by Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga, the Spanish Mozart. It is high-quality music, quite unknown, with which we also took the opportunity to make ourselves known: the first Spanish international quartet, performing a very talented Spanish classical composer, a combination that proved successful.

"There is something that most chamber musicians have in common: passion, the desire to give our best, always"

--- Yes, for the first time we played in a summer series that --if I'm not mistaken-- was called Músiques del món, dedicated to the music of a different nationality each year. It was before Sala 2 (Oriol Martorell) existed, which we inaugurated in 2006 and where, since then, we have had very constant activity. Also in other venues in the city such as the Winterthur Auditorium, in a series organized by Jordi Roch, responsible for the Schubertíada of Villabretran. An important personality, who promoted our activity practically from the beginning.

--- Your name is biographically linked to ensembles of the stature of the Alban Berg or the Hagen Quartett. There are many of us who think that, today, you have reached a comparable level and that it is a great fortune to be able to listen to you every season.

--- Thank you very much… The truth is that the relationship with the Barcelona audience is very special. When we travel, there is always some concert where you notice, as soon as you go on stage, that there isn't a great connection with the audience. Of course, we do everything we can to achieve it, to turn that initial coldness around. But that never happens in Barcelona. Because in Barcelona, from the beginning, there is a magical connection.

--- I myself have perceived it many times at L'Auditori, and it never ceases to surprise me, because as a phenomenon, "connection" is, in reality, quite exceptional…

--- Perhaps it happens because the audience is recurring and loyal, I have the feeling that they know us well. Some listeners have followed us almost from the beginning. And then, in addition, an important and curious element must be added, and that is that some are our students! Like any teacher, we talk a lot in our classes at ESMUC --Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya, linked to L'Auditori-- about how to prepare, so that everything goes well… But of course, one thing is chatter and another is live performance, when the moment of truth comes you have to go on stage and prove it! It's a nice pressure, which surely motivates us even more.

--- You probably also remember the passion you felt for music when you were students, the admiration and demands your teachers aroused in you. How does one decide on chamber music?

--- There are different cases. There are some students who directly say: "that's not for me", "I want to be a soloist", "I want stability and to work in an orchestra" or "I want to be a teacher". And then, of course, there are those who want to play chamber music, and not only do they say so, but they give themselves completely: my case and that of my quartet colleagues. It is really satisfying, but it involves an amount of work difficult to imagine, even if we have an agency in Berlin that works very well.

--- What do you find most fascinating about chamber music and, specifically, about the string quartet?

--- Well, I would say that, in a way, the combination of not being alone on stage and at the same time being able to deploy your own voice. If you play a string instrument as a soloist you have fewer possibilities, the career is difficult, whereas if you opt to belong to an orchestra you always have to follow a conductor. What interested us was to make our own decisions regarding both the repertoire and the way of playing it. Without losing sight of other aspects --perhaps more practical-- such as time management and the choice of our concert schedule. Furthermore, we believe that the most intimate, personal and significant works of the great composers --Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, Bartók, Ligeti, Shostakovich…-- are precisely their string quartets. It is a very pure musical form, which allows one to see the creative genius.

"Freedom and the possibility of dissent are necessary for commitment to be more authentic and bear fruit musically"

--- In a way, there's something most chamber musicians have in common: passion, the desire to always give our best. As we said, there's no conductor telling you how to do it; we want to do it as best as possible out of our own pride. And, regarding interpretive decisions, such as the choice of repertoire or concert dates, we proceed in a totally democratic way: if there's no unanimity, the decision is not approved. And we don't question the person who dissents either. We all accept it without resentment, because in another situation, one might be the one who thinks differently. Everyone has the right to veto.

--- Great respect, trust, and honesty among you seem necessary to proceed this way. Qualities that, surely, somehow reach the listener in your live performances. In addition to passion and technique, a very beautiful balance, the transparency of all voices, is appreciated.

--- That's right, there's a lot of respect and very good understanding. Between the Albert and Arnau brothers, of course. But Vera and I are also very good friends, and all in all, the relationship is very good among the four of us. We try not to be on top of each other. If we have lunch, dinner, or breakfast together, that's great, but there's no pressure. There has to be freedom so that the commitment is more authentic and bears fruit musically.

--- To conclude, regarding the aesthetic experience lived at your concerts, you have spoken of a "connection," a kind of magic that is very perceptible and at the same time inexplicable…

--- In addition to the concerts that have marked us by their importance or by the setting in which they took place --playing in front of David, in Florence, or in the Alhambra, for example-- there are other special concerts, where "something happens," which cannot be foreseen or classified. If someone could explain this phenomenon, it would be wonderful. The only thing we can do is create the conditions for inspiration to intervene. A certain physical fluidity, an open mind, the ability to listen to what is happening… But in no way can it be guaranteed, in one sense or another. Moreover, sometimes you arrive at the concert tired, almost without having had time to eat --due to circumstances related to travel or other problems-- and, even so, at the moment of playing, that inexplicable sensation --that magic-- appears. You notice that you are enjoying and learning, articulating better the sound that is created from your instrument and in relation to your companions.

"There are concerts that have marked us and other special ones, where "something happens," which cannot be foreseen or classified"

--- I think it is very difficult to analyze or explain the repercussions of an aesthetic experience. We aspire to awaken in the listener a sensation they didn't know was possible, evidently thanks to the music written by a great composer. Perhaps there isn't a big change in the external world, but there is on a human level. As an emotional experience, it brings meaning to our lives. In my opinion, that alchemy occurs especially live, when the audience pays more intense attention and places their trust in the musicians.

--- Finally, and thinking about your most immediate projects: the musical season opens in Barcelona with a festival that is practically essential for music lovers.

--- Well yes, we are lucky to participate as co-curators in the second Biennal de Quartets, organized by L'Auditori, from September 14 to 18. The first edition took place in September 2020, it was a miracle that it could be done, even in a shortened version. In this case it will be bigger, a true celebration, with the invitation of some of the best quartets in the world: the Quator Ébène, the Jerusalem Quartet, the Belcea Quartet, the Cuarteto Quiroga, the Aris Quartett or the Cosmos Quartet. Being together will be a great pleasure, also for us! It doesn't usually happen, because when we play in Vienna, for example, the aforementioned ensembles don't usually play on those same dates. It will undoubtedly be very interesting for the public to be able to listen to such different quartets in such a short time.