Cuarteto latinoamericano

Individually, we are: Saúl, Arón and Álvaro Bitrán, and Javier Montiel. Collectively, we are the Cuarteto Latinoamericano. The public wonders many things about us. For example, if that huge case that always travels with us is a guitarrón. No, it's a cello. And we are not mariachis either, nor do we play with ponchos or guitars, despite what many people ask us. Of course, our name can be confusing. But this name that gives us identity is due not only to the fact that we are Latin American, but also because we have made a career of almost forty years playing mainly classical music by Latin American composers. This music, the music of our continent, is as varied as its culture, its geography, its history and its cuisine. Some composers undoubtedly draw from the rich Latin American popular music tradition while others write music of a universal character, which could have been written anywhere in the world. However, or so we are told, much of the Latin American repertoire contains an important rhythmic element. In any case, our only criterion for selecting Latin American repertoire is artistic quality.

Of course, like any group that starts out, in the already distant year of 1982 we began with Mozart, Beethoven, Borodin, Ravel, etc. But soon we discovered the wonderful music that awaited us in our own continent. And we also saw that there was a great interest in it in various parts of the world. This is how this music, which we have recorded on more than eighty compact discs, has given us several awards - such as the Grammy or the Diapason D'Or - and has taken us to places like the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, the Carnegie Hall in New York, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, concert halls in Israel, Japan, New Zealand, and practically all over Europe and America.

And to this day we continue to travel four continents with the scores of Villa-Lobos, Revueltas, Ginastera, Piazzolla and many other great Latin American masters under our arms. Sometimes we ourselves wonder how it is possible that we have lasted so many years together. We think it is due to several factors, but above all to one: luck. A musician's career is fragile by nature, as it depends entirely on the good health of the performer. And this multiplied by four becomes even more delicate. But fate has been generous with us. And of course there are also other very relevant factors: the love for what we do, families that support us, the desire to play better every day, the affection among the four of us and, why not say it, the punctuality, the rigor and also the sense of humor with which we approach our work and especially our trips, which delight us with an endless number of funny and absurd situations.

Equally important for this long career has been the support we have received from many institutions to which we are very grateful. Particularly, the support from the National Fund for Culture and the Arts of Mexico through the Mexico en Escena project. We are also excited to continue teaching in the many music schools, universities and conservatories to which we are affiliated, as well as participating in the festivals we frequently attend. And without a doubt, making music with great artists such as Eduardo Mata, Janos Starker, Ramón Vargas, Jorge Federico Osorio, Wolfram Christ, Rudolph Buchbinder or Manuel Barrueco is another factor that continues to inspire us. As our fortieth anniversary is closer, we keep traveling around the world. Our hair has become thinner and grayer, and our instruments seem to weigh a little heavier every day. But the desire to continue performing the wonderful Latin American and universal repertoire for quartet, and of course the mutual affection that exists among the four of us, keeps us together, full of energy and always thinking about the next concert. All this still seems like a miracle to us, so we feel very fortunate and grateful to have made a lifetime of the Cuarteto Latinoamericano.