With its four members hailing from different corners of Europe, Alina Ibragimova, Pablo Hernan Benedi, Emilie Hornlude and Claire Thirion, the quartet brings together outstanding skills that are more about "feeling" the music, as the light, clear sounds of their strings complement the bright textures of their pieces. After giving concerts at the Edinburgh International Festival, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Auditorio Nacional de Musica Madrid, Music Festival Grafenegg, as well as performances in Germany and Belgium, it is now time for the famous Chiaroscuro Quartet to perform in Istanbul. On Feb. 19, the quartet will perform at the İş Sanat Culture Center and take the classical music-loving audiences' breath away. Tickets will be sold at the İş Sanat Culture Center's main entrance and online through Biletix. Leading up to the performance, we conducted an interview with the quartet to gain some insight into their music and history.Daily Sabah: You came together as a quartet for the first time at the Royal College of Music in London. You once said, "It was such a new thing for us to play on classical instruments and to hear the sounds of Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven." Why did you decide to give period music a go, when you had played only baroque instruments until that point?Chiaroscuro Quartet: When we first started, we actually played Mozart on Baroque instruments and bows; then we soon began to explore the transitional bows and instruments. The choice to continue working together came very naturally to us after the initial project.DS: Even though all members of the quartet met in London, you are all from different countries. Do you ever notice cultural differences when making and performing music?CQ: The fact that we are from four different countries does of course influence us as people, but our musical intentions are not very different from each other. The quartet will soon celebrate its 10-year anniversary, and it is as if we have found our own musical language together.DS: How does it feel to collaborate with clarinetist Nicolas Baldeyrou and cellist Christophe Coin to play quintets by Schubert and Weber?CQ: It is always great to be able to work with other artists and this brings a lot of new ideas to all of us. Naturally, the quartet has developed a method of working and performing together that is very unified, so to gain new musical input is always very interesting.DS: Why is it that the players in the quartet - apart from the cellist - stand while performing on stage?CQ: Our body language is very different when we stand up compared to when we sit down, and we feel that musical gestures come across differently when we can use our bodies. We feel that it brings us freedom to not always be seated on a chair.DS: What other things do the members of the quartet do outside of the group?CQ: The beauty of doing other things outside the quartet is that we can bring different experiences back to the group. Alina has a very well-established solo career performing and recording. Pablo has a piano trio, called Trio Isimsiz and also does some orchestral leading. Emilie is the principal viola of the Swedish Opera and also performs at many chamber music festivals, and Claire is often invited to lead cellos in various orchestras as well as give solo recitals.DS: What does the residency at Port Royal des Champs mean to the Chiaroscuro Quartet?CQ: The residency means a lot to us. We go there at least three times a year to rehearse, record or perform. It is something we have been doing for a long time and it is an amazing place to be. The setting is beautiful and it is very calm, which is great for rehearsing intensely, day and night.DS: What can listeners and lovers of your music expect from your upcoming album "Mozart- Mendelssohn?"CQ: As with our previous albums, the thread is Mozart Quartets. Here, we recorded the D minor 421, which is one of our favorite quartets. This, combined with Mendelssohn's A minor, which is a fantastic piece, pushes us into early Romanticism. Hopefully the listener will enjoy this combination, as it demonstrates how quickly writing for quartets has changed in less than 50 years.DS: With almost all quartet members living in different countries, how do you manage to come together and rehearse as a group?CQ: We are very well organized and have planned quartet meetings at least two years in advance. We all treat these dates with the highest priority, and the fact that we are all so dedicated to the quartet is necessary, but also gives a great sense of stability to the group.DS: What are any expectations you have for performing in Istanbul?CQ: We are looking forward to playing at the İş Sanat Concert Hall very much, and we are also hoping to have some time to explore this beautiful city a little more and all it has to offer. It is the quartet's first time in Turkey and we are hoping to soak up the atmosphere together. We are also looking forward to some great Turkish food!DS: What are the advantages of playing in a quartet? Are there things you learn from one another?CQ: Of course, you constantly learn new things from each other. It is as if we have four sets of ears instead of one. Playing in a string quartet is very intense work, but immensely rewarding as well. It probably becomes more intense for us because we don't see each other every day. However, when we do meet, we work and live very close together.