Masterclass with the Szymanowski Quartet

January 30, 2015
1:00 - 3:00 pm
 

Andrej Bielow, Violine
Grzegorz Kotów, Violine
Vladimir Mykytka, Viola
Marcin Sieniawski, Violoncello Join the Szymanowski Quartet for a free master class January 30 in Winifred Smith Hall at 1:00 pm. The Szymanowski Quartet consists of Andrej Bielow and Grzegprz Kotów, violins, Vladimir Mykytika, viol, and Marcin Sieniawski, cello. Paul Cutts wrote of them in The Strad, "This Warsaw foursome has superb technical control, innate musicality and an extraordinary sense of ensemble. Couple that with a deep understanding of their repertoire and an involvement that communicates itself electrifyingly to an audience, and the Szymanowski Quartet bears the hallmark of greatness."

Founded in 1995, the Szymanowski Quartet quickly developed into one of the most remarkable international string quartets of its generation. Its sophisticated performances present a perfect balance between intellect and passion, characteristics with which the Szymanowski Quartet captivates its audiences. The ensemble is characterized by its outstanding sense of balanced sound and musicality. The Szymanowski Quartet studied at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Hanover with its teacher and mentor Hatto Beyerle. The four musicians continued to refine their performances working with Isaac Stern, Walter Levin and the following quartets: Amadeus, Emerson, Juilliard and Guarneri, and most recently in dialogue with Alfred Brendel. The Quartet's extraordinarily high standard has been confirmed by numerous awards and distinctions such as at the Melbourne, Osaka and the Florence International Chamber Music Competitions. From 2001 to 2003, the Szymanowski Quartet participated in the BBC’s New Generation Artists scheme, and in 2005 it was honoured by the Karol Szymanowski Foundation in Warsaw with the renowned Szymanowski Award, the only time it was ever given to a string quartet. In 2007 the Quartet was awarded the Polish Government’s Medal of Honour for services to Polish culture. To date, the Quartet has performed at numerous major concert halls such as New York's Carnegie Hall, the Wigmore Hall in London, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Vienna Musikverein , the Louvre and the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, the Berlin Konzerthaus, the Laeiszhalle in Hamburg, the Beethovenhaus in Bonn, the Gewandhaus in Leipzig and the Grünewald Hall in Stockholm. The Quartet tours the USA and Canada every year and is a regular guest at renowned concert series in New York, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Vancouver and Montreal amongst others. Moreover, the ensemble is a regular guest at internationally renowned festivals such as Schleswig-Holstein Musikfestival, Rheingau Festival, Würzburger Mozartfest, Bregenzer and Schwetzinger Festspiele, Niedersächsische Musiktage, the BBC Proms and at festivals in Lockenhaus, Davos, Cheltenham, Bath and Perth. In 2008 the Quartet founded the Lviv Chamber Music Festival in a city on the border between the Ukraine and Poland whose historic centre isa UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the spirit of UNESCO, it is the Quartet’s aim - as a musical border crosser - to actively support cultural exchange. The musicians regularly invite renowned fellow artists such as Alissa Margulis, Valery Sokolov and Mischa Maisky. Apart from the classical and romantic repertoires, the Szymanowski Quartet also regularly performs works by contemporary composers such as Magnus Lindberg, Elena Kats-Chernin, Philip Cashian, Kit Armstrong, Thomas Larcher and Andrew Toowey, some of whom have dedicated pieces to the Szymanowski Quartet. In the upcoming season, the CD Moscow will be released by the Cavi-music label. Moscow is the conclusion of a 3-CD project in which the Quartet focussed on its patron, the composer Karol Szymanowski, in the context of three music capitals: Paris, Vienna and Moscow. In addition to the recordings dedicated to Paris and Vienna in this series from CAvi-music, a recording of piano quintets played with Matthias Kirschnereit was recently released by Hännsler Classic. For more information visit their website www.szymanowskiquartet.com Winifred Smith Hall
Free and Open to the Public. Pictured: Szymanowski Quartet - Photo by Irène Zandel