Gagarin Quartets

Performed by Modulus Quartet, Gagarin Quartets is a journey through captivating film montages, intriguing soundscapes, and evocative live strings.

“Orbiting Earth in the spaceship, I saw how beautiful our planet is… Let us preserve and increase this beauty, not destroy it!” Yuri Gagarin

Across twelve contemporary classical works, composer Nicholas de Carlo traces the historic voyage of the first human to orbit the Earth, moment-by-moment. From the thrill of mission launch to the first experience of zero gravity and into a rapid sunset - then lost behind the dark side of the Earth, emerging into a starry new dawn, spinning out of control above Africa and finally returning home as a global hero.

Gagarin Quartets fuses shimmering, melodic motifs with a dramatic minimalist string quartet score. Presented in the historic and atmospheric setting of Stone Nest, the performance creates an immersive 108-minute experience - the same duration as Yuri Gagarin’s first orbit of Earth in 1961.

The Modulus Quartet explores new ways of presenting contemporary music, performing in unusual venues and incorporating visual arts and multimedia technology. They work closely with contemporary classical composers to create original 21st-century classical experiences.

Nicholas de Carlo’s music explores symbolic interpretations of story and subject matter. Previous projects include Tempelhof Airport, Berlin Stations, Women of Troy, Othello, Road To Worlds and Gagarin, and earlier albums include Gagarin - Son of The Earth and Gagarin - Returns. Human Body Mirrors is coming soon.

"Spiritually soaring...the performance stunned the audience with rich tonalities and cascading ripples, into a well-deserved standing ovation.” Marc Bandola

“The music invites you to dream… I wish this had been the score for Tron Legacy.” Nico Steckelberg

Modulus Quartet - String Quartet
Nicholas de Carlo - Composer
Films, montages, lighting, and sound design by Julian Bigg, Johnny Goddard, and Nicholas de Carlo

“Wonderful & unlike anything else I’ve experienced... An utterly captivating performance.” ✩✩✩✩✩ RAMSGATE FESTIVAL OF SOUND

“The playing by the Modulus Quartet is excellent.” ✩✩✩✩ THE ARTS DESK

Stone Nest is an arts organisation and performance venue in the heart of London's West End, bringing exceptional and experimental art to a wide audience. A hidden gem nestled amidst the bright lights of theatreland, it offers a platform for bold, visionary artists and a space where audiences can encounter an eclectic programme of contemporary performance.

*Stone Nest is an old building and unfortunately cannot currently accommodate electric wheelchairs. We can accommodate manually operated wheelchairs at ground floor level via a temporary ramp; please let us know that you are a wheelchair user when booking.