2025 BERGSON KUNSTKRAFTWERK, MUNICH (DE)
2nd String Quartet Biennale 2025
The 2nd String Quartet Biennale at Bergson Kunstkraftwerk in Munich brought together four outstanding ensembles for a profound artistic dialogue between European and Japanese musical traditions.
The festival honored Toshio Hosokawa’s 70th birthday, welcoming two rising quartets as ambassadors of the Osaka International Chamber Music Competition. Mechthild Ackermann’s large-scale silk calligraphies evoked the elegance of Japan and beyond, capturing the essence of cultural exchange.
Manuela Hartel created a series of site specific video projections inspired by Japanese aesthetics—its subtle sense of space, silence, and transience. These works extended the concert experience into a visual dimension, transforming the raw architecture of the Bergson silos into poetic, cosmic landscapes. This approach reflects the artists ongoing dialogue with music and visual storytelling.
Narrative
The String Quartet Association (vdsq.festival4) invited Hartel to share a personal narrative alongside renowned artists like Anne-Sophie Mutter, supporting their important work:
“To me, God is the greatest artist. Inspiration requires an inner attitude of openness and a willingness to receive impulses. Yet, without the spiritual origin, without the influence of an unseen, creative force, artistic creation remains superficial.”
Credits
String Quartets: casalQuartett, Minguet Quartett, Malion Quartett, Moser String Quartet
Video Art & Projection: Manuela Hartel
Calligraphy & Installation: Mechthild Ackermann
Artistic Direction: Monika Henschel & Ulrike B. Keil
Presented by: Verband Deutscher Streichquartette e.V.
Press
“The Munich String Quartet Biennale at Bergson breaks with several concert conventions.” — Süddeutsche Zeitung
“In keeping with the works of Japanese composer Toshio Hosokawa, Mechthild Ackermann adorned the space with meter-long, elegantly curved silk calligraphies. And on the concrete surfaces of the silos, media artist Manuela Hartel created cosmic landscapes through projection.” — Paul Schäufele, Süddeutsche Zeitung
Audience Voices
“Please never stop playing,” — audience member after hearing Pēteris Vasks’ Third Quartet.
