NEWS

Rockport Chamber Music Festival, June 28, 2015:

The CL was flawless in its opening unison and the execution of all the technical effects, always well integrated into the musical fabric. Whether CL was telling its audience about their personal tastes or about the characteristics of Latin American music generally we’re not sure, but by the end of the concert the listener would be well exposed to dramatic portamenti and glissandi, ethereal harmonics, and many other brilliant colors of string sound production.

 

Boston Classical Scene

 

The quartet—brothers Saúl Bitrán (violin), Arón Bitrán (violin), and Álvaro Bitrán (cello), along with Javier Montiel (viola)—play together with a clean ensemble blend and a tone that is occasionally warm but thoroughly penetrating in both soft and aggressive passages.

 

Boston Classical Review

Complete string quartets of Villa-Lobos, Teatro Mayor, Bogota, Colombia:

“Concerts of the Cuarteto Latinoamericano showed the sound universe of Villa-Lobos: all seventeen of his string quartets in five concerts in three cities. The Cuarteto offered a clear interpretation, which recognized the intent and purpose behind each section. Their mastery was expressed in the sonic dimension, supported by technical mastery of their instruments. The sound of the quartet grew and became  monumental. With interesting couplings in the attack, duration, weight, arc and tone, they achieved a robust and appealing sound. All of the performances were strong, skillful and human, and let out a feeling of satisfaction and joy.”

 

Bachtrack - May 23, 2015

Complete string quartets of Villa-Lobos, Teatro Mayor, Bogota, Colombia:

“Ruperto Chapi Quartets No. 1 and 2 receive top-drawer readings from the Cuarteto Latinoamericano. One hopes Cuarteto Latinoamericano have others waiting in the wings. The musicians dispatch these works with the technical flair and musical imagination listeners have come to expect from them. This foray into the music of their Spanish cousins provides an ear-opening excursion. This vividly recorded release is a most welcome addition to the catalog, a charismatic, elegantly rendered interpretation of music that’s hard to resist.”

 

Chamber Music Magazine - Spring 2015

 

“Ruperto Chapi wrote magnificent string quartets, major works, full-length and ambitious. Cuarteto Latinoamericano smartly tempers its trademark sharp sonority in a manner consistent with the music’s elegance and warmth. They quite literally seethe with energy, but the players differentiate and characterize each section notably well. Superb engineering captures every inflection with natural fidelity. This is a great CD release.”

 

ClassicsToday - January 20, 2015

 

“Ruperto Chapi’s music is a revelation: straightforwardly brilliant, compact and vividly conceived four-movement works that have a Spanish inflection and engage with an irresistible élan. The Cuarteto gives us sparkling renditions with a zest that leaves nothing to be desired. These are near-ideal performances. Brilliant! I look forward to more. This one is a stunner.”

 

ClassicalModernMusic - March 31, 2015

Ttetraktys on Urtext Digital Classics:

“Ttetraktys represents the ten young Mexican composers featured. We are quickly swept into punchy groove-oriented sections with angular melodies. It is clear that the members of the quartet thoroughly enjoyed the demands each piece had to offer. This joy of the process can be heard in the bright, crisp and confident expressiveness the quartet offers in this recording. “                                                                                                           TheWholeNote - February 2015

“Energy and commitment in a collection of new Mexican string quartets”

“What emerges most strongly, both in the works and in the Quartet’s committed playing, is a joyful sense of rhythm. The disc offers a fascinating insight into new music from a seldom-sampled source. Juan Andres Vergara’s Adams-esque 3DOKU allows the quartet players to show off their remarkable range of tone, attack and phrasing – alongside their exciting rhythmic precision.  Miguel Rivera’s Jackson Pollock-insprired White Abstract was brought to urgent life in an energetic performance.  Sound is closely captured but balanced.”

 

The Strad - April 2015

Latino Cultural Center, Dallas, Tribute on the 20th Anniversary

of the death of Eduardo Mata:

“The playing was ardent and drew enthusiastic response from the full house.”

 

Dallas Morning News - February 13, 2015

Flagler Museum, Palm Beach, FL:

“I first heard Cuarteto Latinoamericano in 1984 making their New York City debut. Fast forward 30 years. It was so rewarding to hear how they have matured and mellowed as the years went by. They play with a rapturous honey-toned sound; surely the result of being together, formally, since 1982. Heitor Villa-Lobos’ Quartet No. 1 broke free of the European tradition with this composition. The playing was immaculate. Debussy’s only String Quartet ended the program; the Cuarteto Latinoamericano played this with a sound that I can only describe as that of burnished gold.”

 

Palm Beach Arts Paper - Feb. 10, 014

 

“String Quartet by Debussy, received a memorable reading. Intonation was perfect, contrapuntal lines clearly played and the rhythmic drive contagious. The ensemble showed that they have the technical and musical abilities to promote the virtually unknown corpus of Latin American chamber music.”

 

Palm Beach Daily News - February 6, 2014

On tour in Italy:

“Il Cuarteto Latinoamericano ha suscitato, con la sua vibrante esibizione, il totale apprezzamento del foltissimo pubblico”

 

Cronaca di Mantova, February 2015

 

“A torrential rain of applause sprang from the audience after the bold roughness of the First Quartet by Ginastera concluded the official program. The announcement of the ecore,’Libertango,’ brought cries of delight that carried to the last row in the Aula Magna of Verri . Earlier, spontaneous applause gushed to greet the beginning of their journey with the dreamy and moving Villa Lobos First Quartet “

 

Il Cittadino - February 24, 2014

 

Music Festival of Morelia:

“The best performances so far come from small ensembles , as with the Cuarteto Latinoamericano, which emerged as an example of sobriety, clarity and aesthetic sense. The Cuarteto keep the audience's attention with technical mastery, clean sound and balanced interaction among themselves, with the aim of providing a coherent credible dialogue.”

 

La Jornada Michoacan - November 20, 2013

Cervantino Festival:

“Were Domingo Lobato born in Vienna, he would be a well-known composer. The Cuarteto Latinoamericano has rescued his works to give them a new life, part of this group’s extensive repertoire of this group. On Saturday, the capacity of the Temple of the Compañía was insufficient to accommodate the public who gathered to enjoy these musicians. There were about 90 people standing. For the Cervantino in addition to Lobato they brought Golijov and Verdi. The public demanded a little more and the Cuarteto responded with Libertango’ by Piazzolla.”

 

Periodico AM - October 10, 2013

Stefannien Saal, Graz, Austria with bandoneonist, Daniel Binelli:

“They are world-renowned, heirs of Astor Piazzola: bandoneon-virtuoso Daniel Binelli and the string quartet of the brothers Saul, Aron and Alvaro Bitran and violist Javier Montiel sound the depths of the substance of new music, Jazz, and  concert music, which dissolves into passion, erotica, intensity, and melancholy. From Troilo's ‘Maria,’ to Piazzola's ‘Adios Nonino,’ the five exceptional musicians span a feeling of emotion, whose syncopations, glissandi, staccati and percussionistic effects excite and move. Piazzola's ‘Oblivion’ and the ‘Milonga del Angel’ put the audience under a spell.”    

 

Kleine Zeitung - June 26, 2013

Americas Society, New York City:

“These extraordinary musicians made me think about important key cultural issues. First, the question of perfection: a living paradox. When you listen to a group of musicians so deeply imbued, both with each other, and each with their score, perfection is presented first as a feeling and universal miracle, as aesthetic expression of God's presence. You feel like you are in safe hands. Besides being great musicians, the Cuarteto has created a musical canon, has discovered composers and pieces, and put them in dialogue with one another, through their studies and their interpretations. Another form of magic: Cuarteto Latinoamericano interprets pieces by composers old and new with different musical sensibilities. And through that, we return the dead to the living again; the incantation of music.” 

 

La Jornada - May 15, 2013

Beethoven Festival, Teatro Mayor, Bogota, Colombia:

The Cuarteto had a striking ability to hear the leading line, so that listening to Beethoven was like reading the score. The tone had tremendous control and gradations, against which you could always hear the immaculate silvery threads of the first violin. The performance was an elegant, laid-back miracle, thoroughly worked out, often with a wonderful sense of formality. The sound in the large hall was ideal. The audience went wild.

 

Huffington Post - March 28, 2013

Barreiro: Lamento de agua y aire (premiere)and Piazzola’s Four Seasons, Orquesta Sinfónica de Yucatán:

“From the start there was a joyful complicity between conductor and Quartet; they let themselves be carried away by the twisted contrapuntal textures and the score's sudden tempo changes; this allowed them to display all the wealth of sonic and emotional possibilities. The rain of applause made Cuarteto Latinoamericano return to the stage twice, the second time, for an encore: ‘Libertango’ to continue the Piazzolla effect.”

 

Diario de Yucatan - March 10, 2013

Festival Alfonso Ortiz Tirado, Sonora:

“There was an exceptional concert by the Cuarteto Latinoamericano, sold out in the Templo de la Purísima Concepción. In the expert hands of Cuarteto Latinoamericano, this work was profiled as a logical, authentic history of the passionate and stormy expression of Schubert’s music. They gave a strong interpretation in that jewel of the repertoire, the Op. 11 Quartet of Samuel Barber. The quartet gave the long, expressive and passionate lines of Barber's work time enough to breathe properly, to generate the poignant elements of tension and relaxation offered by the composer. Always admired for its recognition of the music of Mexico, CL performed the attractive Quartet in G by Domingo Lobato, who passed away at the end of 2012. The Cuarteto gave a wonderful overview of the work, applying the interpretive rigor they bring to each score. Among the many riches of this quartet performing Beethoven, it is worth noting the rhythmic discipline of members, which allowed us to perceive clearly the interesting  motor impulses proposed by Beethoven, and the expressive depth applied to the slow movement, which contains some of the most serious and introspective pages of Beethoven’s music. A full house gave a very enthusiastic reception for this performance, which eventually offered a tasty and wonderful version of Libertango by Astor Piazzolla.”   

 

KioscoMayor.com - January 30, 2013

30th Anniversary Gala, Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico City:

“On Saturday night, the musicians received their audience to celebrate 30 years of music-making, work that has been captured in more than 70 recordings, innumerable concerts in Mexico and other parts of world, national and international recognition and above all, the applause of their admirers. Before beginning the concert, the director, Teresa Vicencio Alvarez gave recognition to the group. Thanks to them Mexico has a vast repertoire of string quartets. More quartets have been written for this group than in the history of Mexico from the nineteenth century. It is a fantastic opportunity for new generations of composers. Quartet no. 2, Reflections of the Night, composed by Mario Lavista drew a long applause from the audience. Between shouts ‘Viva el Cuarteto Latinoamericano,’ they announced the first of many encores: Libertango by Astor Piazzolla, followed by Manuel Estrellita, M. Ponce, Alvaro Bitran, then Mambo 7/16 by Roberto Sierra, and finally, a concerto by Rodolfo Halffter.”    

 

Milenio - May 28, 2012

 

“Cuarteto Latinoamericano contributed a virtuosic performance to Sheldon Hall Ballroom Wednesday evening. Nominated for a Grammy in 2002 as well as a Latin Grammy, the group has achieved many accolades. Their musicianship expels a radiance of technicality, impressive by quartet standards. The Cuarteto Latinamericano received a well-lit audience, causing the group to take the stage once again for an encore. Electrically fast arpeggios and modal technicality expelled a climax not to be outdone.”

 

The Oswegonian - March 22, 2012

 

 

“Cuarteto Latinoamericano specializes in Latin American music, and it’s made a mission of unearthing neglected works from some of the more intriguing musical minds of the last century. The group brought an eclectic selection to Wolf Trap on Friday night, running the gamut from nostalgic salon music to edgy, 12-tone expressionism - but always with a distinctive Latin character. Astor Piazzolla’s ‘Four for Tango,’ arrived like a fresh wind, bitingly sharp and full of brilliant effects - whiplike upward slides, notes as rough as sandpaper - and the sophisticated raunchiness that makes tango what it is. Manuel Ponce’s ‘Estrellita,’ appeared in an arrangement for string quartet, along with the similarly lovely ‘Gavota’; they charmed, perfectly. The two works that really made the program were ‘Musica de Feria’ by Mexican composer Silvestre Revueltas and the showstopping Cuarteto No. 2, Op. 26, of Alberto Ginastera. The Revueltas was an extravagance of furious rhythms, folk songs and diabolical little dances, so vivid and full of life it needed to be heard to be believed. Ginastera’s 1957 quartet was far more austere but no less powerful: a masterpiece of modernism, brilliantly played and a joy to hear.”

 

Washington Post - March 20, 2011

 

 

“Friends of Chamber Music's series has led audiences down interesting byways of chamber repertoire, the latest excursion being Monday night's concert Cuarteto Latinoamericano. The credentials of the performers were unimpeachable and the program refreshingly out of the mainstream - intriguing, sometimes thoroughly engaging. Cuarteto Latinoamericano is the standard-bearer for Latin American string quartet music. They were a tight and well-balanced ensemble, their range of mood and color exposing great variety in a handful of Latin American (and Latin American-influenced) works from the past fifty years. Echoes of popular and folk music sounded through much of the program. Javier Alvarez' quartet ‘Metro Chabacano,’ commissioned by the Mexico City subway system echoed Steve Reich's ‘Different Trains’ in its propulsive, expressive use of fragmentary materials. The last few pieces of the concert were worth the price of a ticket by themselves. Saúl Arón introduced Miguel de Aguila's ‘Boliviana. The last movement in particular was energetic and vivid, deftly capturing the sounds of Andean instruments. Reliably captivating, were works of Astor Piazzolla. All of the Piazzolla, including an encore of an arrangement of his ‘Libertango,’ was lush, passionate and incisively played, a fulfillment both of Piazzolla's reinvention of the tango and of the potential of this ensemble.”  

 

The Oregonian - March 1, 2011

 

“These works require playing of heightened intensity and precision, qualities Cuarteto Latinoamericano possess in abundance. Vali asks for artistic extremes, from the fiercest digging-in to the most transcendent wisps of sound, and the ensemble honors all requests with artistry of extraordinary flexibility, cohesion and urgency. Like BartOk's supreme essays in the form, Vali's quartets are emotionally draining and, in the end, exhilarating.”

 

Gramophone Magazine

 

“Any quartet we’re likely to hear will be hard pressed to equal, much less surpass, the playing of the Cuarteto Latinoamericano.”

Los Angeles Times

 

“The Cuarteto Latinoamericano is a string quartet with exceptional drive, control and finesse.”                                                                                            Cincinnati Enquirer

 

“Through such ensembles as the Cuarteto Latinoamericano, Latin America’s composers have long since arrived on the world’s stage.”                          

Toronto Star

 

“It has clean, tight ensemble, startling luxuriance of tone, and the delightful collective habit of playing cleanly on pitch.”                                                 Fanfare

 

“Among the most fascinating and exciting string quartet discs I have heard in a long time, with vital, fresh, imaginative music and sensitive, brilliant performances.”

Washington Post

 

“One of the most satisfying performances of Schubert’s music that I’ve heard.”

Houston Weekly

 

“An exceptional group because of its clean playing, energy, and freshness.”

La Monde de la Musique

 

“Not only do the members of this ensemble play with a rapport that verges on telepathic, but they investigate a repertoire of which most other such groups evidently are ignorant.”

The Pittsburgh Press