Quatuor Diotima

Quatuor Diotima, seen as a fearless advocate of new music since their inception, have set their sights on the Far North. The focus is Nymphéa, in which Kaija Saariaho models inimitable sounds with electronics, revealing an organic world of sound that is constantly changing shape. Kristine Tjøgersen also enjoys playing with sound transformations. Her quartet, Mystérios do Corpo, is a tribute to the Brazilian jazz composer Hermeto Pascoal, known for his unconventional way of making music – even on his own body. In her work, Tjøgersen converts physical movements into musical gestures. Finally, in Enigma, our portrait artist Anna Thorvaldsdottir explores a gradually shifting soundscape where drawn-out melodic movements transform almost imperceptibly. At the request of Ars Musica, the Belgian composer Frédéric Verrières has written a new piece that link the impressive quartets from the north together.