Chiaroscuro Quartet

Overview

The Chiaroscuro Quartet has been called “a trailblazer for the authentic performance of high Classical chamber music” by Gramophone magazine. Formed in 2005, the quartet performs music of the Classical and early Romantic periods on old-style gut strings, using historical bows from the period.

Press reviews rave about the vitality and intimate communication of this foursome, and their unique sound has been described by the London Observer as “a shock to the ears, of the best kind!” This international ensemble draws its members from Spain, France, and Sweden, and has named itself for the Italian word—Chiaroscuro—which refers to the treatment of light and shade in drawing and painting.

To open the 2024-2025 Music in the Park Series, the Quartet will bring their unique approach to two of the classical period’s most celebrated string quartets – Mozart String Quartet in C major, K.465 Dissonance, and Schubert’s String Quartet in G major, D.887.

Mozart’s quartet is one of the six quartets that he dedicated to Joseph Haydn and is nicknamed “Dissonance” on account of its unusual slow, chromatic introduction. Schubert’s final string quartet was dashed off in just 10 days, although it remained unpublished and unplayed for 26 years after his death. It is a monumental work that is symphonic in dimension and scope, and leaves no doubt that Schubert had grand ambitions which were cut short by his early death at 31.