Kamus Quartet (FIN)

Founded in 2002, the Kamus Quartet is one of Finland's leading string quartets, a perfectly matched group. In fact, we can safely say that they are among the most prominent Scandinavian ensembles to have developed new ways of presenting chamber music – for example, with their acclaimed TeemaHelsinki concert series – but the project they are bringing to the House of Music now is even more astonishing. In addition to the Saariaho and Sibelius quartets they will play at the concert on 17 March, from 10am on the previous day – as well as on the day of the concert – their installation Concert Experience in Virtual Reality will be displayed in the Auditorium, so that you will be able to experience the concert from the musicians' perspective.

The Kamus Quartet delights audiences with their strong and distinctive sound – one of the most popular Scandinavian ensembles, they focus on musical rhetoric and performance practice from the classical period, on knowledge of musical language and a deeper understanding of the structure of the score, which has opened and continues to open new perspectives in the performance of chamber music. The Quartet's publications are unique – including, world premieres of works by prominent composers – and have won awards and toured major concert halls around the world. In addition, they are working on new, attention-grabbing ways of presenting chamber music, for example, in the TeemaHelsinki series of concerts held in surprising locations around the city. They have also launched a project to help enrich the music scene in parts of rural Finland.

The House of Music will host works by prominent Finnish composers, including the contemporary Kaija Anneli Saariaho, who has been commissioned by the Kronos Quartet; and Jean Sibelius, perhaps the best-known Finnish composer, who was a prominent figure in the Romantic and early modern period and also played a key role in strengthening Finnish identity. The Kamus Quartet, however, has also devised a unique approach to this programme through which they will do much to promote chamber music. Their installation, Concert Experience in Virtual Reality, is linked to their concert at the House of Music with the first two movements of one of Sibelius's works, Voces Intimae, presented in virtual reality from the perspective of the orchestra and the individual instrumentalists – a mini-concert that was recorded in the composer's own home.

In the Auditorium on the day before the concert as well as on the day of the concert – 16 & 17 March, from 10:00 to 17:00 – you can find out what it is like to perform a masterpiece, absolutely free. All you have to do is don a VR headset and you'll be playing at one of the world's most notable venues! How do the four leading musicians of the Kamus Quartet communicate with each other in milliseconds while they play? With glances? Whispers? Bow waving? Or perhaps the connection between the musicians is telepathic? Experience it for yourself!