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Jonathan Brown and the other members of Cuarteto Casals hit it off right away when the Barcelona-based quartet needed a new violist in 2002. A mutual teacher put him in touch with violinists Abel Tomàs and Vera Martínez and cellist Arnau Tomàs (who is Abel's brother). Within 45 minutes of their initial meeting in Germany, it was apparent Brown would be a good fit. One problem: The Chicago-born Brown was "not at all fluent" in Spanish. The others spoke English well enough, but Brown wasn't comfortable making such a demand on his brand-new bandmates. So they conducted rehearsals in German, which all four spoke passably.
"Rehearsals were quite efficient — no banter," Brown recalled. Later, Arnau Tomàs pointed out another advantage of the arrangement: The musicians had to choose their words more carefully, meaning there were "no knee-jerk reactions. It was one more layer against quick decisions."
Brown now lives in Spain with his wife, who's also American, and their two young children — and Casals rehearsals are conducted in Spanish.
The quartet will perform a diverse program — one of Mozart's last quartets (K. 589), Shostakovich's Quartet No. 10 and Brahms' Quartet No. 3 — at Libby Gardner Hall in a concert presented by the Chamber Music Society of Salt Lake City. Brown remembers being impressed with the venue and the friendly audience when the quartet played different quartets by the same composers there two years ago. He said the dark humor of the Shostakovich pairs well with the cheerier Mozart and Brahms, both of which feature jaunty hunting themes.
When • Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.
Where • Libby Gardner Concert Hall, 1375 E. Presidents Circle, Salt Lake City
Tickets • cmsofslc.org