In the year marking the 150th anniversary of Pau Casals’ birth, this concert takes on a particularly symbolic significance. The Quartet Casals—one of the most internationally renowned chamber ensembles from our country and heir to the maestro’s spirit—stars in one of the cycle’s most outstanding events. Joined by pianist Alexander Melnikov, they perform two cornerstones of the repertoire: Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 3, with its dramatic intensity and formal refinement, and Brahms’ Piano Quintet, a monument of Romantic chamber music. The concert forms part of a collaboration with the Pau Casals Foundation, which shares with the Palau the mission of promoting talent and chamber music with international vision and artistic commitment.