Janáček Quartet
String Quartet
Janáček Quartet is one of the longest established chamber music ensembles active today. Formed in 1947 by the students of the Conservatory of Brno, originally under the name JAMU Quartet, the ensemble changed its name to Janáček Quartet early on to honour the Moravian composer Leoš Janáček and their close musical ties. The quartet gradually expanded its repertoire to Dvořák, Smetana, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn, Shostakovitch, Martinů, and Erwín Schulhoff. In 2017 Deutsche Grammophon released a CD box of Janáček Quartet’s complete recordings on the label, marking the ensemble’s 70 years of music making. Highlights of their past and recent engagements include Edinburgh Festival, Wigmore Hall, Palau de la Música in Valencia, Bologna‘s Teatro Manzoni, Tokyo Bunkakaikan Hall and Seoul Arts Centre, collaborating with such renowned artists as Boris Berezovský, Raphael Wallfisch, Ivo Kahánek and Josef Špaček among others.
Contact
Monika Wiktorowicz
ARTIST MANAGEMENT WORLDWIDE
monika@amworldwide.co.uk
+44 (0) 7535 267 557
Janáček Quartet’s concert performed at The Queen’s Hall in August 2002 is to be broadcast as part of the BBC Radio 3 documentary series “Great String Quartets at Edinburgh” on 25th of August 2022. The legendary performance features a programme of some of the most outstanding works in string quartets’ repertoire from the Bohemian and […]
“The virtuosity on display here is quite astonishing. The longstanding Janáček Quartet is joined by fellow Czech pianist Ivo Kahánek for Korngold’s Quintet, before paying tribute to their namesake in a programme that gels superbly.” For more details see HERE
Janáček Quartet is one of the longest established chamber music ensembles active today. Formed in 1947 by the students of the Conservatory of Brno, originally under the name JAMU Quartet, the ensemble changed its name to Janáček Quartet early on to honour the Moravian composer Leoš Janáček and their close musical ties. The quartet gradually […]
"The Janacek Quartet penetrated the essence of each work with emotion and matchless intelligence. They remain second to none in this repertoire."
The Guardian
"The glorious heyday of a first-rate quartet in repertoire that for the most part suits their glowing and incisive style."
Gramophone
"In Janáček’s Intimate Letters the shading of colours and bow weights in the opening movement are responsible for some truly stellar use of palette and sonority. The architecture of the movement is compellingly vivid in their hands…"
musicweb-international.com
One of the longest celebrated established chamber music ensembles in the world, the Janáček Quartet was formed in 1947 by the students of the Conservatory of Brno, originally under the name JAMU Quartet. In 1949, the ensemble changed its name to Janáček Quartet, honouring the Moravian composer Leoš Janáček and their close musical ties. One of the founding players, first violin Jiří Trávníček, was a student of František Kudláček, a distinguished member of the Moravian Quartet that premiered Janáček’s String Quartet No.2 "Intimate Letters" and edited the work in association with the composer. The Quartet initially concentrated mainly on Janáček's chamber works, gradually expanding their repertoire to Dvořák, Smetana, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn, Shostakovitch, Martinů and Erwín Schulhoff, often collaborating with the renowned peers Smetana Quartet when playing octets.
In 1956 Janáček Quartet gave their first performance in then West Berlin, gaining instant international recognition that opened the door to renowned concert halls and recordings on all continents. For more than 70 years the Janáček Quartet successfully presented the Czech-Moravian interpretative tradition at prestigious international festivals in 55 countries, consistently preserving their distinctive style in performance and recordings with Deutsche Grammophon, Supraphon, Eterna, Decca and others.
In 2017 Deutsche Grammophon released a CD box JANÁČEK QUARTET: The Complete Recordings on Deutsche Grammophon, marking the ensemble’s 70 years of music making. Their Janáček’s string quartets’ recordings in particular have met with high critical acclaim and have won numerous awards, including the Grand Prix of the Charles Cros Academy, and Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik.
Highlights of past and recent concert engagements include performances at the Edinburgh Festival, Wigmore Hall, Bologna‘s Teatro Manzoni, Palau de la Música in Valencia, Tokyo Metropolitan Festival Hall and Seoul Arts Centre among others. The ensemble often works in collaboration with renowned artists such as Boris Berezovský, Raphael Wallfisch, Ivo Kahánek and Josef Špaček. Their future projects involve a tour to South Korea, as well as concert appearences in Italy, Spain, Brazil and the US.
The current members of the quartet are: Miloš Vacek, Richard Kružík, Jan Řezníček and Břetislav Vybíral.
www.janacekquartet.com
Season 2021/22