The Belinfante Quartet: Merging Music, Culture, and Climate Awareness with the Merita Project

Stories | April 2, 2025

One of the distinguished ensembles involved in the Merita Project is the Quartet, a group of passionate musicians who bring a diverse and dynamic energy to the string quartet tradition. Composed of Pau (cello), Fiona (violin), Olivia (violin), and Henrietta (viola), the quartet came together seven years ago when Pau and Olivia were working on a project together and realized that they enjoyed playing music as a group. They then recruited Fiona and Henrietta to form the complete quartet.

Named after Frieda Belinfante, a pioneering woman conductor and cellist, the quartet emulates her artistic vision and determination. Their multinational background adds depth and diversity to their performances making them more than music – they are cultural dialogues.

Photo Source: The Belinfante Quartet by Cosimo Beduini

A Unique Artistic Approach

What sets the Belinfante Quartet apart is that they are committed to pushing the limits of string quartet performances. They offer diverse repertoires and experiment in the presentation styles and formats, seeking to make their music attractive and engaging. Through collaborations with visual artists and creative mentors, they aspire to bring classical works and contemporary storytelling together.
Their participation in the Merita Project stems from their previous involvement in the special programs and courses, where they were introduced to Merita’s mission of fostering cross-disciplinary artistic exchanges. Inspired by these experiences, they eagerly joined Merita to further develop their vision of integrating music with other art forms.

Benjamin Britten and Venice: The Quartet’s Merita Project

For their Belinfante Merita residency, the Quartet chose to focus on Benjamin Britten’s Third String Quartet. Written late in Britten’s life, the piece is strongly introspective and incorporates themes from his opera Death in Venice. The quartet saw an opportunity to reimagine the work by setting Venice as the hero – the dying city metaphorically and physically due to rising sea levels and climate change.

This reinterpretation invites audiences to consider the past grandeur of Venice, the current environmental issues of the city, and an uncertain future for it. Musicians attempt to make Britten’s challenging score more understandable through the use of storytelling elements, visual artistic methods, and participatory performance.

A Residency in Romania: Challenges and New Discoveries

The quartet’s Merita stay was in Câmpulung, Romania, an area none of them had visited before. Immersed in a foreign culture, they viewed the task as learning how to present themselves to the unique natures of the old house they were living in.

Initially envisioning a production with extensive visual elements, movement, and lighting, they soon realized the constraints of their setting. However, rather than viewing these limitations as obstacles, they transformed them into creative opportunities. With the guidance of visual artist Philip, they explored how to use the house’s existing elements – lamps, furniture, and natural light – to craft an evocative and intimate performance space.

An Immersive Concert Experience

The quartet’s rendition of Merita deviates from traditional concert formats, engaging the audience in a more active and interactive experience. The concert begins with the performers situated in different areas of the house, and the audience is encouraged to move through the space while hearing the music from different perspectives.

The concert navigates through different eras of music, from the Venice golden era to its present-day struggles.This journey is marked by Renaissance and folk influences, culminating in Britten’s deeply emotional final quartet. Poetry readings, strategic lighting, and visual storytelling further enhance the narrative, which leaves individuals in wonder about our future world.

Extending the Boundaries of String Quartet Performance

The Belinfante Quartet envisions an era where classical music transcends the boundaries of the traditional concert hall, entertaining individuals in unprecedented and unexpected methods. With past compositions, including a collection of music from countries along the 40th parallel north, they’ve demonstrated commitment to blending the quality of the music with cross-cultural exploration.

Their experience with Merita has confirmed for them the power of interdisciplinary cooperation. Through continuous experimentation with new concert configurations and engagement with more universal concerns like climate change, they hope to redefine the role of the string quartet in today’s music.

A Must-See Performance

Even with confronting somber subjects like the ruining of nature, Belinfante Quartet’s Merita endeavor is anything but saddening – it’s riveting, amazing, and exceedingly powerful. Their unique approach to performance promises a concert experience that is both thought-provoking and entertaining.

As it opens up the borders of the established music, the Belinfante Quartet invites us to join them on this journey, to listen, to reflect, and dream about new possibilities for, as well as for the great world.