arts & entertainment' Latin American string quartet plays Pro Music Detroit concert at Max M. Fisher Music Center. I Suzanne Chessler Contributing Writer S aul Bitran would like people from around the world to know a side of Latin America beyond beaches, soccer and political problems. That side is classical music, and he presents it as part of the Cuarteto Latinoamericano. Bitran will bring that knowledge to a Detroit audience in a concert planned under sponsorship of Pro Musica of Detroit. It begins at 8:30 p.m. Friday, March 14, at the Max M. Fisher Music Center. "We'd like to present this important side on behalf of a continent where concert music and the arts are very lively:' says Bitran in a phone conversation from his home in Massachusetts, distant from the Mexican base of the other members of the group. "We'll be playing four pieces. The first half [of the concert] has three pieces writ- ten in Latin America, and the second half has a quartet by Claude Debussy. "This is the type of program we like a lot because it features Latin American music standing shoulder-to-shoulder with one of the famous European pieces. It gives a chance for Latin American music to shine and be played in the best musical contexts of the world, where we believe it belongs. "The Latin American works include Four for Tango by Astor Piazzolla, Cuarteto en Sol by Domino Lobato and Cuarteto No. 2 by Francisco Mignone. The Debussy piece is String Quartet Op. 10. "The tango piece is the only piece the Argentine composer wrote for quartet:' Bitran explains. "The Lobato piece was written in a romantic Mexican style. The Mignone work is very colorful and Brazilian-flavored:' The Grammy-winning quartet, formed in 1982, consists of three brothers: Saul and Aron are on violins, and Avaro is on cello. Javier Montiel joins the brothers on viola. "As a working quartet, we are a working democracy:' says Bitran, whose American residency is because of the work of his wife, Iris Berent, a cognitive scientist. "We all have opinions, both musical and busi- ness, which are taken into account. "I, as first violinist, am the one who probably gives more signals, like a conduc- tor does, during the concert. "We spend one week every month rehearsing in Mexico City, playing con- certs and teaching. The rest of the time, we're touring around the world or each one is at home. "This arrangement has been going on for 20 years. Before that, we all lived together in Mexico and then in Pittsburgh, where we served for six years as quartet-in-residence at Carnegie Mellon University:' The three brothers, whose family left Chile for Mexico during the 1973 Chilean coup, have played music together since childhood at the encouragement of their father, an amateur violist, and mother, a pianist. They included their sister at the piano. "My parents never intended for us to become professionals, but we liked it and had great opportunities," Bitran says. "Our dream was to remain doing chamber music as opposed to playing in orchestras because of what we liked so much as kids:' The brothers studied at a Mexican conservatory. Afterward, Saul Bitran, who speaks Hebrew, decided to further his schooling in Tel Aviv, where he met his wife. His brothers went to the United States. The quartet was formed with a class- mate from the Mexican conservatory. "The first years, we worked more in Mexico but started traveling from the beginning:' Bitran says. "We did concerts in the U.S and Europe. We believed there was no way we could make a career with- out being exposed to the best quartets in the world and the best concert series. "We took any travel invitation we got even if it was poorly paid, but it all paid off. We have never stopped traveling and bringing this wealth of Latin American music for quartets to places around the world:' Saul Bitran, 52, is the youngest in the group. The quartet's concert appearances have taken them from the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., to La Scala in Milan. "It's a good feeling working with my brothers:' he says. "We don't take that into account when we're playing. We have a very professional relationship when we are working and a warm family relationship beyond that. "We have an intuitive way of separat- ing them. Living apart has been helpful because we have independent lives and interests. Then, when we do get together as a quartet or family, we get along very well. All of our children are into music, more or less seriously. My son, Amir, 20, is study- ing composition and piano. My daughter, Cuarteto Latinoamericano Alma, 14, is a very serious pianist:' Bitran, who also plays with a piano trio near his home, teaches at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester. Mass. "Judaism is very important in our lives," he says. "We belong to a local temple and try to have Shabbat dinners. My wife's fam- ily is in Israel, and we go there every year:' When the quartet toured Israel in 2000, they included a piece by an Israeli compos- er. Their repertoire includes the music of Jewish Latin American composers as well. Cuarteto Latinoamericano will assist Pro Musica with its educational outreach work by performing and teaching students in a special program to be held 10 a.m.-noon Friday, March 14, at Detroit Cristo Rey High School. "We have recorded more than 50 CDC says Bitran, whose quartet commissioned a piece, Bay of Pigs, by composer Michael Daugherty (the University of Michigan faculty member has called the quartet "one of the best in the world"). "A month ago, we finished a new CD that will come out this year:' says Bitran. "Before that, we recorded a CD, Brasileiro, which won the Latin Grammy as Best Classical Recording. It features music by Francisco Mignone, whose piece we will play in Detroit:' ❑ The Cuarteto Latinoamericano will perform at 8:30 p.m. Friday, March 14, at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit. Afterglow follows the concert. $25-$45; $10 students. (313) 576-5111 (313-882-7775 for students); www.promusicadetroit. corn. March 6 • 2014 41