Smith Quartet, Arcángel, Cañizares

For more than 20 years Smith Quartet has dedicated itself to contemporary music and is considered one of the most dynamic ensembles. In its concert the quartet will present a variety of different new pieces by Portuguese composers Pedro Rebelo, João Pedro Oliveira, Miguel Azguime and Carlos Caires, and two compositions by Spanish composer Mauricio Sotelo. Labyrinth by João Pedro Oliveira is inspired by poetry by Mário de Sá-Carneiro and explores musical places and spaces with a view to their elusiveness. Paraitre Parmi by Miguel Azguime for string quartet and electronics uses the principle of frequency modulation as a common basis for acoustic and synthetic sound processes. Also Shadow Quartet by Pedro Rebelo positions itself at the interface between acoustic instruments and electronics. Four old violins at the same time serve as sound boxes and loudspeakers and thus create the “shadows” of the quartet.

The second part of the concert will be dedicated to Mauricio Sotelo. Both pieces, Audéeis for string quartet and cantaor, featuring exceptional flamenco singer Arcángel, and Como llora el agua, featuring outstanding guitarist Juan Manuel Cañizares, combine a “classical” instrumentation with traditional forms, and the soloists keep up the delicate balance between their own style and the melos rhythm of flamenco.