Über die Künstler
Musical Poets Between Tango and World Music
Quadro Nuevo is Europe's answer to Argentine tango. But that is only part of the story.
Arabesques, Balkan swing, ballads, daring improvisations, melodies from old Europe and the lightness of the Mediterranean come together to form enchanting musical fables. They tell stories of a vagabond's life, of experiences and encounters along life's great journey, of little coincidences and extraordinary moments, of tenderness and wild temperament. Always driven by eastern and western winds, between consuming longing and the pleasures of fulfilment – between the bitter and the sweet.
Since 1996, Quadro Nuevo has toured the world, giving more than 3,000 concerts in cities such as Sydney, Montreal, Ottawa, Kuala Lumpur, Istanbul, New York, New Orleans, Mexico City, Beijing, Seoul, Singapore, Tunis and Tel Aviv. From the tranquil landscapes of Upper Bavaria, across the Alps to Porto; from Denmark through the Balkans to Ukraine, criss-crossing Europe.
Constantly on the move, this instrumental quartet has developed a musical language all of its own, beyond the confines of conventional genres. It is shaped by a passionate love of their instruments and an infectious joy in making music. The secret lies in their complete devotion: rarely does one encounter music performed with such intensity, verve and sensitivity towards other cultures.
The venues in which these four musicians perform are as diverse as the roots of their music. Quadro Nuevo is equally at home in concert halls and at festivals as it is far beyond the traditional concert stage. These virtuosos, driven by an insatiable appetite for playing, roam the streets of southern cities as buskers, invite audiences to dance as a late-night tango band, and perform everywhere from intimate jazz clubs to New York's Carnegie Hall.
Quadro Nuevo's albums have received the German Jazz Award, climbed into the Top Ten of the jazz and world music charts, and were honoured in Paris with the European Phonographic Award Impala. In both 2010 and 2011, the ensemble received the ECHO Jazz Award for Best Live Act, one of Germany's highest musical honours, presented by the Deutsche Phono-Akademie.
