M4GNET Quartet · Shostakovich 120 · Tallinn

The M4GNET String Quartet will perform in the White Hall of the House of the Blackheads in Tallinn, presenting the profound works of Dmitri Shostakovich alongside String Quartet No. 1 by Ester Mägi, widely regarded as the “first lady” of Estonian music. In Dmitri Shostakovich’s expressive Piano Quintet, M4GNET will be joined on stage by pianist Rasmus Andreas Raide.

PROGRAM

• Dmitri Shostakovich – String Quartet No. 6

• Dmitri Shostakovich – String Quartet No. 5

• Ester Mägi – String Quartet No. 1

• Dmitri Shostakovich – Piano Quintet

Thanks to: Estonian Instrument Fund, Estonian Music Information Centre, Ministry of Culture, Estonian Cultural Endowment.

ABOUT THE ENSEMBLE

The string quartet M4GNET is a highly regarded and active chamber ensemble consisting of four top-level string players: Robert Traksmann (violin), Katariina Maria Kits-Reimal (violin), Mart Kuusma (viola), and Siluan Hirvoja (cello). The four distinguished musicians formed the quartet in early 2021 with the aim of offering vivid and meaningful interpretations of classical chamber music, while also introducing audiences to lesser-known works and recent compositions by Estonian composers.

The members of the quartet have performed together in various formations for over ten years, but the decisive impulse for establishing a permanent ensemble came from the Estonian Cultural Endowment’s chamber ensemble residency program. Through this residency, the Cultural Endowment supports the creation of new chamber ensembles, provides opportunities for collaboration with a manager, and helps expand repertoire through the commissioning of new works.

The M4GNET string quartet has participated in several festivals, including the Pärnu Music Festival, Tallinn Chamber Music Festival, the annual TubIN festival in Tartu, the Haapsalu Early Music Festival, and the renowned contemporary music festival Estonian Music Days. Last November, the ensemble performed in the legendary university city of Oxford at a festival dedicated to Arvo Pärt. This spring, they will present new Estonian works at the Estonian Music Days festival in both Tallinn and Tartu.

The ensemble has been selected to take part in the prestigious international program Le Dimore del Quartetto, through which M4GNET gives concerts abroad each year. The quartet has participated in masterclasses led by prominent figures in the string quartet world, such as Simone Gramaglia (Quartetto di Cremona), Marc Danel (Quatuor Danel), and Peter Jarůšek (Pavel Haas Quartet).