Quartett zum Quadrat: Heiner Müllers „Quartett“ meets Leoš Janáčeks späte Streichquartette – by NICO AND THE NAVIGATORS

About this Event

Musical theatre ensemble NICO AND THE NAVIGATORS’ most recent production “Quartett zum Quadrat” will celebrate its premiere in December in Radialsystem, combining Heiner Müller’s famous play “Quartett” with two late string quartets by Czech composer Leoš Janáček. In “Quartett” Heiner Müller interprets Choderlos de Laclos’ epistolary 18th Century novel “Dangerous Liaisons”. Two voices meet each other in the frenzy of lust, caught up in a game of seduction, destruction and power. Müller’s text has grown in force and relevance since it was created in the 1980s, with contemporary readings emphasising a sinister allegory of self-centredness and moral decay. Janáček’s string quartet Number 1 „Kreutzer Sonata“ and Number 2 „Intimate Letters“ complete the production, adding musical commentary to Müller’s literary composition. The result is a hall of mirrors made of eroticism and apocalyptic visions. Two couples are presented on stage: actors Annedore Kleist and Martin Clausen, long-term members of the ensemble, and dance duo Yui Kawaguchi and Martin Buczko. The production is accompanied by Paul Hübner on trumpet and Lorenzo Riessler on percussion, alongside the renowned Kuss Quartett. Janáček’s interpretation permeates Müller’s text, spanning an expressive field of tension between language, sound, and movement.