Thu, October 19, 2023 at 7:30 PM
QUATUOR DIOTIMA
String Quartets by Brahms, Ligeti, Lachenmann
Pierre Boulez Saal
One of the special qualities of the Quatuor Diotima, according to its longtime violist Franck Chevalier, is to approach the music of the present with a historical perspective: “Awareness of the musical avant-garde means to be aware of its past.” Returning to the Pierre Boulez Saal in a new lineup, the ensemble pairs two “classics” of the avant-garde—Ligeti’s electrifying First Quartet of 1953 and Lachenmann’s Grido, written in 2001—with Brahms’s forward-looking A-minor Quartet.
Artists
Violin
Violin
Viola
Violoncello
Program
EVENT TIMELINE
Why You Shouldn’t Miss This
This is a programmatic vision shared by the Pierre Boulez Saal and the Quatuor Diotima. The four musicians are champions of contemporary music, having collaborated with some of the leading composers of the 20th and 21st centuries, including Pierre Boulez. At the same time, their programs often combine music of the avant-garde with masterpieces by Brahms, Beethoven, Schubert, Ravel, and many others. Heard and performed with Quatuor Diotima’s present-day sensitivity, the innovative power of these works becomes all the more striking, inviting us to recalibrate our listening perspective.
With the works heard in this program, each of the three composers responded to something that had come before them. They looked back to predecessors such as Beethoven or Bartók, to the centuries-long tradition of writing for string quartet, or to their own earlier works, while also aiming to transcend the past. And all three found incredibly innovative answers to what it meant to compose a new string quartet at a particular moment in music history: Brahms in 1873, Ligeti in 1953, and Lachenmann in 2001. Listening to these re-inventions of the genre separated roughly by half a century, we can begin to understand how the string quartet has remained one of music’s most alive endeavors.
Each season, we celebrate the genre’s diverse and continuous evolution by inviting leading ensembles to present a diverse range of compositions—from repertoire classics to new experimental works, performed on gut strings or joined by other instruments. And we’re proud to present these concerts in a hall that could not be better suited to experience the intimate interplay of four musicians up close. Find out more about our quartet series here.
YOUR VISIT
How to get there
Pierre Boulez Saal
Barenboim-Said Akademie
Französische Straße 33d
10117 Berlin, Germany
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Public transport
U-Bahn U2 Hausvogteiplatz (350m) U5 Museumsinsel, U6 Unter den Linden (600m)
Tram M1, M12 Mitte / Am Kupfergraben
Bus 147 Werderscher Markt (100m), 100, 300, N5 Staatsoper (300m)
By Car
Q-PARK parking garage Unter den Linden / Staatsoper
Bebelplatz 2
10117 Berlin
Theatre tariff (5:30 pm – 11:30 pm by prepayment): €10
More information on getting there by public transport, bike, or car is available on our Getting there page.
Opening Hours
Box Office
Monday to Friday 2 pm to 6 pm
Closed on weekends and holidays
On performance days, the box office is open one hour prior to an event on weekdays and two hours on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.
Papagena Call Center
Ticket hotline +49 30 4799 7411
Monday to Saturday 9am to 8pm
Sunday and public holidays 2pm to 8pm
Food & Drinks
Casalot Catering welcomes Pierre Boulez Saal visitors before and after concerts, serving a variety of dishes of Arab cuisine.
On concert nights, the catering opens one hour before the start of an event and remains open after the performance. You may also place pre-orders for intermission right at the counter.
More info on our catering here.
Accessibility
To book wheelchair-accessible seating, other seats for visitors with disabilities, or companion seats, please contact us directly.
+49 30 4799 7411 | tickets@boulezsaal.de
All wheelchair seats are accessible by elevator. All visitors, including patrons using a wheelchair, will enter the Pierre Boulez Saal through the main entrance. Tickets will be checked at the hall doors.
In order to make access as easy as possible, we kindly ask that you inform us of your requirements when booking your tickets.
Restrooms for visitors with disabilities are located in the basement and on the balcony level and are accessible by elevator.
Four parking spaces for visitors with disabilities are available on the street Hinter der Katholischen Kirche.
