About this Event
About Bennewitz quartet
Jakub Fišer and Štěpán Ježek,violins; Jiří Pinkas,viola; Štěpán Doležal, violoncello
“The Bennewitz will soon have established itself at the very top of the international quartet world” wrote the Stuttgarter Zeitung, while the Frankfurter Allgemeine raved that “...the music was remarkable not just for the clarity of structure, but for the beautiful tone palette and purity of intonation in its execution. Only very rarely does one experience such skillfully crafted and powerful harmonies…Great art!”
Founded by four young musicians in 1998 at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, it was named after the famous Czech violinist and teacher Antonin Bennewitz (1833-1926), and established its reputation by winning two leading chamber music competitions – the Osaka (2005) and the Premio Paolo Borciani (2008). Since then the quartet has performed at numerous international music festivals such as Rheingau and Heidelberger Frühling, The Lucerne, Lockenhaus, Orlando and Prague Spring Festivals, and in prominent concert halls (Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Auditorio Nacional de Madrid, Theatre des Champs- Elysees, Herkulessaal Munich, the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Rudolfium Prague, Wigmore Hall, Konzerthaus Berlin, Musikverein Vienna, the Seoul Arts Center). In North America the group has been invited to e.g. the Frick Collection and Rockefeller Univ, NYC, to the National Gallery of Art DC, to Cleveland, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Palo Alto, to Vancouver, Toronto and Ottawa. It has become known for its “drama, expression, and utmost sensitivity” Strad as well as its richly differentiated sound culture and interesting programming. Its broad repertoire spans from Bach fugues to the classical canon, and to the contemporary, and includes many lesser-known works. The quartet has been championing Czech music including works by unjustly neglected composers such as Reicha, Haas, Ullmann, Schulhoff and others, and has performed the Martinu Concerto for String Orchestra with the Czech Philharmonic under Jiri Belohlavek. The ensemble also gave the Czech premiere of John Adams’ Absolute Jest with the Prague Radio Symphony. The quartet works with outstanding artists such Alexander Melnikov, Vadim Gluzman, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Isabelle Charisius, Pietro de Maria, Reto Bieri, Danjulo Ishizaka and others.
Program
Joseph Haydn : String Quartet in C, Op. 54,No. 2
Bohuslav Martinů: String Quartet No. 1, H117, "The French"
Antonin Dvorak : String Quartet in C Op. 106
The Bennewitz String Quartet is represented in North America by Shupp Artists Management, Inc.
https://shuppartists.com
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
La Maison Française, Embassy of France, Washington, United States
USD 15.00 to USD 25.00