From July 3 to July 12, 2026, the celebrated French clarinet ensemble Quatuor Anches Hantées will bring its imaginative and unique “Opera Without Diva” concert to China. The tour includes at least two confirmed stops: July 7 in Shanghai and July 11 in Beijing (other cities and venues to be announced).

Quatuor Anches Hantées is not your typical chamber group. Founded in 2001 by former students of the Paris Conservatory, the quartet — comprised of four clarinets (including basset horn and bass clarinet) — has over two decades pioneered a repertoire of ingenious transcriptions and bold reinterpretations, pushing the boundaries between tradition and invention. 

In this special “Opera Without Diva” programme, the ensemble will deconstruct the familiar operatic canon — from Mozart to Bizet, Verdi to Puccini — entirely without a soprano diva or vocal soloist. Instead, four clarinets will evoke the drama, color, and emotion of opera, transforming arias, overtures, and intermezzos into a clarinet quartet drama. According to the group’s own media, the concert “does justice to some of the most emblematic pages of the operatic repertoire.”

This innovative format is typical of QAH’s adventurous spirit. Critics praise them for their “extraordinary flexibility” and their ability to adapt stringent musical demands into clarinet quartet arrangements — even transcribing string quartets by Mozart and Beethoven with remarkable finesse. 

Their recent output includes the album Malinconia, in which the quartet reimagines how Mozart and Beethoven might have written if they had modern clarinets at their disposal. Using modern wind instruments, QAH offers a reinterpretation of classical chamber repertoire with fresh sonority, nuanced articulation, and rich timbral depth. 

QAH has built a global reputation over 20+ years — touring major concert halls, opera houses, and festival venues, blending elegance, humor, creativity, and virtuosity. 

For audiences in China, “Opera Without Diva” promises a night of imaginative reinvention: opera’s familiar emotional arcs, but re‑cast in a chamber music context; dramatic color, theatrical tension, and operatic grandeur — all conveyed by clarinets alone. From July 3–12, 2026, don’t miss a rare opportunity to witness one of the world’s most adventurous ensembles rewriting the rules of opera.