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ZEMLINSKY QUARTET Members Repertoire Discography Reviews Photos Concerts Venue Downloads Next North American Availability: January 23-February 19, 2009; November 1-23, 2009. Please
telephone the Stanton office for remaining open dates
Since its
formation in 1994, the ZEMLINSKY QUARTET (formerly Penguin
Quartet) has continued the deep Czech tradition of the string
quartet. During its studies in the Prague Conservatory and the Academy
of Performing Arts Prague, the ensemble was coached by members of
renowned Czech string quartets such as the Talich, Prague, Kocian and
Pražák quartets. The Quartet
became a prizeholder in the Prague Spring International Music
Competition in 2005. It also won the 1st prize and the prize
for the best interpretation of a work by Beethoven in the Beethoven
International Competition (Czech Republic, 1999). The Quartet has been
a semifinalist of prestigious string quartet competitions (Banff,
2001 and 2004; Geneva, 2001) and it won the International Tribune of
Young Artists “New Talent 2003“ (Bratislava). Zemlinsky Quartet became a
finalist of the 2004 Concert Artists Guild International Competition
(New York) and in the same year, it became the holder of the “Critic´s
Prize“ in the Central European Festival of Concert Arts in Žilina
(Slovak Republic). The quartet won the 1st prize in the 2004
Martinů Foundation String Quartet Competition in Prague and became the
holder of the Prize of the Czech Chamber Music Society for 2005.
The Quartet has
taken part in many master classes. In 2002, Zemlinsky Quartet
participated in the Sommerakademie Reichenau (Austria), where it studied
with members of famous string quartets and won the 1st prize
for the best interpretation of a work by L. Janáček. In the years
2002-03, the Zemlinsky Quartet participated in the program of
ProQuartet-CEMC (France). Both years, the ensemble studied in master
classes with Paul Katz (Cleveland Quartet), and it also gave a concert
in Fontainebleau with members of the Pražák Quartet. The members of the
Zemlinsky Quartet also perform as soloists. They are prize holders of
several individual competitions (Concertino Praga, Spohr International
Competition Weimar, Rotary Music Competition Nürnberg, Kocian
International Competition and others). The recent coaches of the quartet
have been V. Bernášek, the cellist of the Kocian Quartet and J. Klusoň,
the violist of the Pražák Quartet. At this time the quartet coaches
regularly with W. Levin (LaSalle Quartet) in the Music Academy in Basel,
where it also acts as his assistant quartet-in-residence. The broad
repertoire of the Zemlinsky Quartet contains works by many leading Czech
and foreign composers, and also contemporary compositions. The group
co-operates with the Czech TV and records regularly for the Czech Radio.
The Quartet performs regularly in the Czech Republic and also abroad
(Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, Hungary,
Slovakia, Brazil, Canada, United States), e. g. in July 2004 the quartet
gave a concert in the Festival Radio France et Montpellier, broadcast
live by Radio France and recorded by TV Mezzo. In summer 2006 Zemlinsky
Quartet made its first United States tour including two performances at
Music Mountain (broadcast throughout the US) and at the annual benefit
concert of the Meadowmount School of Music which this year honored
Judith “Mrs. G“ Galamian who passed away in fall 2005. The first CD of the quartet contains works by famous Czech composers Dvořák, Janáček, Suk and Richter, the second CD with the string quartets by Joseph Suk resulted in a recital of the ensemble at the 2005 International Music Festival Prague Spring. Both CDs garnered critical acclaim from The Strad. In Fall 2006, the Quartet began recording the complete quartets of Dvořák (including the very early quartets) for Praga Digitals and has also recorded the complete quartets of American composer Frank E. Schmelzer (1927-2005) for a pending release. The Schmelzer quartets were recorded in Prague under the supervision of the composer shortly before his passing.
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