05 April 2009
Jerusalem Quartet Receives Prized Cello
Sergei Bresler - 2nd violin
Amichai Grosz - viola
Kyril Zlotnikov - cello
The Jerusalem Quartet, recognised as one of the most dynamic and exciting quartets currently performing, continue to be both regular and popular visitors to major venues throughout the world. This season, they will perform a total of five concerts in London's Wigmore Hall, and will also appear in Amsterdam, Luxembourg, Hamburg, Brussels, Paris, Munich, Zurich, Geneva, Grenoble and Munich. With a growing reputation in North America they have appeared in Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Cleveland and Washington. Last summer saw them appearing at the Edinburgh, Rheingau and Passau Festivals and next season they return to the Bath Mozart Festival. The quartet is in residence for Musica Viva Australia between 2006 and 2009; in October 2008 their 12-concert tour will include Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane. They also continue as quartet in residence at the new auditorium in Valladolid, Spain.
The quartet have an exclusive recording contract with Harmonia Mundi and in spring 2008 their latest recording, Schubert's Death and the Maiden and Quartettsatz in C minor, was released and was quickly featured as Editor's Choice in the July 2008 edition of Gramophone Magazine. Their recording of Dvorak's American Quartet and the Piano Quintet with pianist Stefan Vladar was released in May 2006 and they made a substantial European tour together with Stefan in November 2007 including a nine concert tour of Holland. They have released two Shostakovich recordings (Quartets 1, 4 and 9 released in May 2005 and 6, 8 and 11 released in spring 2007), and a Haydn quartet CD released in spring 2004.
Their 2007 Shostakovich release won the chamber category of the BBC Music Magazine Awards for the best recordings of the year in spring 2008. The illustrious jury said of the disc that it was 'challenging, unpredictable Shostakovich which always convinces even when the approach is new. The Jerusalem Quartet's tonal range is daunting too'. Further awards include first prize in the 'most impressive performance by a (small) ensemble' category of the Vereniging van Schouwburgen en Concertgebouwdirecties Dutch Music Prize in November 2007. In 2003 the quartet was a recipient of the first Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award and part of the first ever BBC New Generation Artists scheme between 1999 and 2001.
The Quartet is very grateful to Daniel Barenboim who generously loans Jacqueline Du Pre's 'Sergio Perresson' cello to Kyril Zlotnikov.
