The casalQuartett takes the audience on a grand concert tour lasting several hours to the world of the string quartet. The «tour de quatuors» starts in the early evening with baroque pieces arranged for four parts, and continues with classic gems of the epitome of chamber music later on in the evening. Between the first and second stages of the quartet section, there is time for refreshments. Prior to the later leg of the tour, those interested can find out from an artists’ talk why classical string quartets sound best when played on instruments by Tyrolean luthier Jacobus Stainer.

The Swiss casalQuartett have examined the pioneering music of the 18th century very closely. Playing on Stainer’s historical instruments, which are ideal for the purpose, they have developed a unique sound and style that sheds a new light on the heyday of the string quartet. Thanks to a loan from Musikkollegium Winterthur, which has provided the musicians with four of Stainer’s instruments, the casalQuartett can make full use of the magnificently colourful, overtone-rich spectrum. During the «golden age» of the string quartet as composed by Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, the ingenious master’s instruments were still the most sought-after in the world.