Launching December’s cultural calendar at The Shoe Factory in downtown Nicosia is the celebrated Quartet Gerhard, which makes its Cyprus debut next week. December 4’s concert is a much-anticipated event as the island welcomes four musicians who form one of the leading European ensembles of their generation.

Lluís Castán and Judit Bardolet on violin, Miquel Jordà on viola and Jesús Miralles on cello comprise the quartet, which is set to captivate Nicosia audiences. Founded in Catalonia in 2010, the Quartet has been distinguished with numerous prizes at international competitions and has appeared in some of the world’s foremost venues and festivals, including the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, the String Quartet Biennale Amsterdam and the Festival Radio France Montpellier.

Bringing its commitment to the essence of sound and its profound sense of musical integrity, the quartet will present a thrilling programme comprising works by Beethoven, Ravel and Turina. Making this Cyprus premiere possible is Pharos Arts Foundation, the embassy of Spain, Instituto Cervantes and CPT.

Featured in the repertoire is an airy, transparent and playful work of profound simplicity and transcendence, Beethoven’s final string quartet – the radiant No 16 in F major, Op 135. The composition stands as his poignant farewell to the genre, crowning a lifetime of struggle and mastery.

Also to be performed is Ravel’s only String Quartet, which was written while the composer was still a student at the Paris Conservatoire, and it is often considered his first masterpiece for its extraordinary range of tone colour, vibrant rhythm and touch of the exotic. Lastly, the Seville-born Joaquín Turina was irresistibly drawn to Paris, and his Oración del Torero string quartet, thoroughly impressionistic, abounds in Spanish colour, much like the energy December 4’s concert will exude.

Quartet Gerhard

Quartet marks its Cyprus debut performing works by Beethoven, Ravel, and Turina. December 4. The Shoe Factory, Nicosia. 8.30pm. €25. Tel. 22-663871. www.pharosartsfoundation.org