One of the world's best quartets, DIOTIMA, will hold a concert in Vilnius

This autumn, the Lithuanian public will have a unique opportunity to hear one of the world's most renowned string quartets – Quatuor Diotima. The French ensemble will hold their concert on November 5th at the National Philharmonic. The quartet is bringing an extremely intriguing program to Vilnius, featuring the legendary minimalism "guru" Steve Reich's masterpiece "Different Trains" as the finale.

Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, Diotima is considered one of the most sought-after string quartets today. The ensemble is constantly invited to perform in the world's most prestigious concert halls and festivals: they began their anniversary season with a residency at the prestigious Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, and their most important appearances include concerts at the Pierre Boulez Saal in Berlin, Wigmore Hall in London, the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, and the Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid. The quartet's performances consistently receive exceptional critical acclaim – The Strad wrote after one of their concerts: "After this performance, I would gladly listen to any music performed by Diotima," while The Guardian described their performance as "inspiring."

Since the beginning of their career, Diotima has worked closely with the most prominent contemporary music creators, but alongside a vast repertoire of modern music, the quartet has also gained recognition for their interpretations of classic masterpieces – works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Schubert, Arnold Schoenberg, Alban Berg, Anton Webern, Leoš Janáček, Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, and Béla Bartók. The quartet has initiated the premieres of numerous works by the most distinguished contemporary composers – Tristan Murail, Toshio Hosokawa, Alberto Posadas, Mauro Lanza, Gérard Pesson, Rebecca Saunders, Miroslav Srnka, and many others, and perhaps the most significant creative friendship of the quartet was marked by their collaboration, which began at the very start of their career, with modern music luminaries Pierre Boulez and Helmut Lachenmann, who regarded this quartet as exceptional.

In 2023, the Diotima quartet joined one of the most prestigious independent record labels, Pentatone, releasing an album dedicated to the works of 20th-century music master György Ligeti. The ensemble's recordings have won prestigious Diapason d'Or awards and the Grand Prix of the German Record Critics' Association. Last season, alongside concerts in major European concert halls, the quartet toured Japan, China, Mexico, Colombia, and Armenia, and presented various world premieres by renowned composers such as Georges Aperghis, Christian Mason, Dmitri Kourliandski, and Ana Lara.