Arete Quartet, the Star of Kumho Art Hall New Year's Concert

Haydn's 'The Seven Last Words of Jesus on the Cross' Performance
Four Performances Next Year as Resident Musicians at Kumho Art Hall

The string quartet Arete Quartet, who will be the resident musicians at Kumho Art Hall next year, will take the stage for the Kumho Art Hall New Year's Concert on January 9.

On this day, Arete Quartet will perform Franz Joseph Haydn's "The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross."

Haydn is regarded as the composer who established the modern string quartet form. He recognized the potential of the string quartet early on and spent his lifetime laying the foundation and maturing the genre. Haydn left 68 string quartet compositions. "The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross" was published in various arrangements including string quartet, orchestra, piano solo, and oratorio, solidifying Haydn's reputation. Departing from the traditional four-movement form, it consists of nine introspective movements and is considered an outstanding work that demonstrates the string quartet as a genre capable of expressing profound human emotions and mature beauty, rather than mere entertainment.

Arete Quartet stated, "We believe that what Haydn intended to express through this work were human anxiety and fear, despair and sorrow, forgiveness, love, and tranquility," adding, "As we begin our activities as resident musicians, we want to present a piece that best embodies the essence of the string quartet."

From the left, violinist Park Eun-jung, violinist Jeon Chae-an, violist Jang Yoon-sun, cellist Park Sung-hyun
[Photo by Kumho Cultural Foundation]

The Kumho Cultural Foundation has been selecting and introducing talented young Korean musicians as resident musicians at Kumho Art Hall since 2013. Arete Quartet became the first string quartet to be appointed as Kumho Art Hall resident musicians.

Composed of violinists Jeon Chae-an and Park Eun-jung, violist Jang Yoon-sun, and cellist Park Sung-hyun, Arete Quartet was formed in September 2019. They unanimously passed the Kumho Concert Audition the same year and debuted in September 2020 with the Kumho Young Chamber Concert. In May 2021, they gained attention by becoming the first Koreans to win the string quartet category at the Prague Spring International Music Competition, sweeping all five special prizes. They received a special prize at the 2022 Munich ARD International Music Competition and consecutively won the Mozart International Competition in 2023 and the Lyon International Chamber Music Competition in 2024.

As Kumho Art Hall resident musicians, Arete Quartet will present four concerts next year under the theme "Resonance." Following the New Year's Concert, performances are scheduled for May 29, September 4, and November 13.

The May concert will feature music by Haydn, Mozart, Brahms, and Wittmann, while the September concert will introduce 20th-century music by Shostakovich, Ravel, and Bart?k. The final November concert will showcase the last string quartet works left by Beethoven and Schubert.