Artemis Quartett Presented by Liszt Academy

Berlin-based Artemis Quartet were formed nearly 30 years ago. Today, they rank as one of the most recognized ensembles even on a world scale. Every member is a distinguished artist in his/her own right, who besides cultivating chamber playing to the highest degree have also achieved podium placings at solo competitions. The quartet’s discography is equally noteworthy: their CDs have garnered prizes such as the Gramophone Award and Diapason d’Or. Their latest studio project was a selection of Mendelssohn works so it is not surprising that of the three items on the programme one derives from the pen of this composer. The D major string quartet (along with its other two companions) was written for the crown prince of Sweden, just a few years before the birth of the other Romantic work, Schumann’s A major quartet. Shostakovich’s String Quartet in B-flat major premiering immediately after the death of Stalin effectively wedges the particular tonal world of the 20th century in the largely 19th century programme.