Borodin Quartet

Barbican Quartet

The Barbican Quartet was founded in 2015, and is taught and supported by string quartet stars like Günter Picheler and the Quatuor Ébène. The four musicians present works by Alban Berg and Beethoven as part of the »Teatime Classics« series. 2022 was a memorable year for the Barbican Quartet: they won first prize and other special prizes at the ARD Music Competition, as well as a third prize at the Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition. The ensemble had only just found a new second violinist, and thus a new sound and style of ensemble playing, in February 2022. The Barbican Quartet has appeared at many international festivals, and has been broadcast on the radio several times. In the 2022/23 season, they produced and released their first CD. An extensive tour will take them to different parts of Europe, to Canada and the USA.

Critics’ Quartet

Moderated by Olaf Wilhelmer, four critics will once again discuss a central work this year: in 2024 it will be Aaron Copland’s 3rd Symphony.The “Critics’ Quartet” takes place instead of the usual introduction to the concert with the Kansas City Symphony conducted by Matthias Pintscher.

Belcea Quartet

Takács Quartet

Beethoven's quartets dedicated to the Russian ambassador in Vienna, Count Razumovsky, are some of his most famous. The first of the three is majestic in its scope, filled with both carefree melodies and tension-filled contrasts.When it comes to string quartets, Joseph Haydn was a role model and important source of inspiration for Beethoven, and there's a musical thread from Haydn's C major quartet to Beethoven's Razumovsky quartets.The ensemble tackling this music, the Takács Quartet, was founded in Hungary but is now based in the USA. They are known for their brilliant playing and innovative programs. They often collaborate with writers and artists, and at several concerts, the actress Meryl Streep has participated.The Takács Quartet also commissions music. One such initiative is the beautifully flowing Flow by American composer Nokuthula Ngwenyama, who has looked out towards space and drawn inspiration from the Big Bang and the expansion of the universe.

BELCEA QUARTET

Continuing its close collaboration with the Pierre Boulez Saal, the Belcea Quartet returns to Berlin for two concerts. Following a performance of string quartets by Arnold Schoenberg and Ludwig van Beethoven, the four musicians will be joined by students of the Barenboim-Said Akademie two days later for the rousing String Octet by 16-year-old Felix Mendelssohn.

CHIAROSCURO QUARTET

A critic once described the first encounter with the Chiaroscuro Quartet as a “shock for the ears.” Over the past two decades, the group has come to be regarded as the leading string quartet for historically informed performance practice, and with their adventurous interpretations the four musicians transform even familiar repertoire classics into unexpected discoveries. A fixture of past Pierre Boulez Saal seasons, the ensemble has chosen works by Haydn, Beethoven, and Schubert for its latest program.

HEATH QUARTET

Josef Suk’s close bond with his composition teacher Antonín Dvořák was not merely artistic—he was also his older colleague’s son­-in-­law. The Heath Quartet juxtaposes Dvořák’s String Quartet Op. 51, known as the “Slavonic” due to its many allusions to Czech folk music, with Suk’s meditation on an ancient chorale for Wenceslas, the patron saint of Bohemia. Written on the eve of World War I, the composition is a plea for peace and protection as well as an expression of new­ found Czech patriotism. Works by Benjamin Britten and Joseph Haydn complete the program.

LEONKORO QUARTET

Over the course of two seasons, several acclaimed ensembles have performed Jörg Widmann’s String Quartets Nos. 6–10 at the Pierre Boulez Saal. Titled “Studies on Beethoven,” these five works offer a contemporary creative response to the works of one of the greatest composers of all time. The concert cycle concludes with the young Leonkoro Quartet perform­ ing Widmann’s Ninth String Quartet, which was written in 2022 as the last of the group

Piano Quartet

The Voice of Gabriel Fauré