La Catrina Quartet: From Haydn to the Day of the Dead

Violinist Daniel Vega-Albela and violist Jorge Martinez-Rios named their string quartet “La Catrina” to give it an immediate Mexican association, and to draw on the iconic skeletal image’s message that life is fleeting. In this conversation with Intermezzo host Leora Zeitlin, they talk about the quartet’s name and its association with the upcoming “Dia de los Muertos” holiday, and the music that they love to play, from Haydn to Mendelssohn to signature pieces by Mexican composers such as Emmanuel Arias y Luna, Eduardo Gamboa and Manuel Ponce.