Concert 1: The ECSQ Plays Piazzolla, Fanny Hensel Mendelssohn & Shostakovich

September 16 - 27, 2026

Victor’s repertoire highlights from the past several years!

I have been drawn to Piazzolla’s music ever since I first heard one of his works on the radio when I was very young. With elements of jazz, classical music, tango, and contemporary music, his works are magnificent not only to perform but also to listen to closely. Piazzolla is the kind of composer who captivates you within just a few measures, making everything else disappear until the very last note.

Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 3 was a piece that we really enjoyed working on and performing. In general, his music is demanding not only from an instrumental perspective, but also in terms of the maturity required to achieve its distinctive color. To perform Shostakovich, one needs to understand the art of irony as much as, or perhaps even more than, the art of combining sounds.

Both Piazzolla’s and Shostakovich’s music radiate courage and a need to share personal stories and transform them into universal ones.

-Víctor Vivas