Stradivari Quartett

This programme by the Stradivari Quartett is a mesmerizing live recording that showcases the quartet's exceptional artistry and cohesion. This album captures the lyrical beauty and intricate structures of Mendelssohn's String Quartet No. 2, paired with the poignant and evocative Langsamer Satz by Webern. The Stradivari Quartett's nuanced interpretation and impeccable technique bring a fresh and vibrant perspective to these masterpieces, making this album a must-listen for chamber music aficionados.

This programme by the Stradivari Quartett is a mesmerizing live recording that showcases the quartet's exceptional artistry and cohesion. This album captures the lyrical beauty and intricate structures of Mendelssohn's String Quartet No. 2, paired with the poignant and evocative Langsamer Satz by Webern. The Stradivari Quartett's nuanced interpretation and impeccable technique bring a fresh and vibrant perspective to these masterpieces, making this album a must-listen for chamber music aficionados.

This programme by the Stradivari Quartett is a mesmerizing live recording that showcases the quartet's exceptional artistry and cohesion. This album captures the lyrical beauty and intricate structures of Mendelssohn's String Quartet No. 2, paired with the poignant and evocative Langsamer Satz by Webern. The Stradivari Quartett's nuanced interpretation and impeccable technique bring a fresh and vibrant perspective to these masterpieces, making this album a must-listen for chamber music aficionados.

Franz Schubert returned to composing string quartets in the 1820s, after four years of focusing on songs which were beginning to gain him wider recognition. His late chamber compositions reveal probably his most characteristic music, full of deep intimacy and profound ambivalence. The ‘Quartettsatz’ (Quartet Movement) presents a turbulent, norm-breaking first movement. If the 'Rosamunde' and 'Death and the Maiden' are the most frequently heard of the quartets of Schubert, his last completed one –in G major –certainly remains his most uncompromising in its vastness, and perhaps his most prophetic of the musical future.

Since it was formed in 2007, the Stradivari Quartet has built up an enviable international reputation for itself both through its concerts and recordings. Throughout all of this it has remained in close contact with its audiences, who often follow the players as a loyal and enthusiastic fan base. The Stradivari Quartet is undoubtedly one of the most interesting ensembles currently before the public. All four members are additionally engaged in other artistic activities.

Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) - hardly any other composer's name is so closely and almost exclusively associated with a single instrument as this one. Chopin is a synonym for romantic piano music of the highest quality. His piano playing and his work as a teacher were regarded as exceptional because of the expansion and exploitation of the technical and tonal possibilities of the instrument, the sensitivity of the touch, the innovations in the use of the pedals and in fingering. It seems presumptuous to have a string quartet interpret the works of precisely this composer, which are so strongly oriented towards pianistic conditions and possibilities. And yet the Swiss arranger, composer and jazz pianist Dave Scherler has taken this risk. For the Stradivari Quartet he has arranged some of Chopin's most famous works for string quartet. These include such well-known pieces as the "Fantaisie Impromptu", the Nocturne in D flat major, Op. 27/2, as well as numerous waltzes and mazurkas. The result works amazingly well. The rhythmically and harmonically complex music with its exuberant wealth of ideas is convincing and captivates even when played by string instruments. The instruments used certainly contribute to this impression, all string instruments from the manufactory of the famous Antonio Stradivari, including the violin "King George 1710" or the famous cello "Bonamy-Suggia 1717".

Since it was formed in 2007, the Stradivari Quartet has built up an enviable international reputation for itself both through its concerts and recordings. Throughout all of this it has remained in close contact with its audiences, who often follow the players as a loyal and enthusiastic fan base.

Das Stradivari Quartett (Eigenschreibweise StradivariQuartett) ist ein Streichquartett, das sein Debüt beim ersten Konzert der Saison an der Tonhalle Zürich am 18. September 2007 hatte.

Gegenwärtig gibt es weltweit gerade mal neun Bratschen aus der Werkstatt des berühmten Instrumentenbauers Antonio Stradivari. Eine davon, die Stradivari Viola "Gibson" 1734, wird von dem Bratschisten Lech Antonio Uszynski gespielt. Benannt ist dieses Kleinod nach dem Engländer George Alfred Gibson (1849-1924), der Professor für Violine an der Königlichen Akademie in Berlin war sowie ein berühmter Solist und Bratschist im renommierten «Joachim-Quartett», in dem er das Instrument spielte. Mit dieser "Vergangenheit" gehört die "Gibson"-Bratsche momentan zu einem der wertvollsten Musikinstrumente weltweit.