BELCEA QUARTET (May)

By Beethoven.

The Belcea Quartet has established itself over the last quarter-century as one of the world’s most celebrated chamber-music ensembles. Founded in 1994 and mentored by members of the Alban Berg and Amadeus Quartets, the ensemble brings together the Romanian violinist Corina Belcea, Korean-Australian violinist Suyeon Kang, Polish violist Krzysztof Chorzelski and French cellist Antoine Lederlin.

The Belcea Quartet’s repertoire spans Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven to Bartók, Janáček and Szymanowski. Its performances of world premieres go hand-in-hand with its profound connection with the great works of the Classical and Romantic periods. The ensemble also introduces new works by contemporary composers, including Guillaume Connesson, Joseph Phibbs, Krzysztof Penderecki, Thomas Larcher and Mark-Anthony Turnage.

In addition to complete recordings of the string quartets by Bartók, Beethoven, Brahms and Britten, its discography includes works by Berg, Dutilleux, Mozart, Schoenberg, Schubert and Shostakovich. From 2017 to 2020, the quartet held the prestigious position of Ensemble in Residence at Berlin’s Pierre Boulez Saal. It is also a partner ensemble at the Vienna Konzerthaus.

The programme spans Beethoven’s early A-major Quartet, Op. 18 No. 5, the spirited C-major Razumovsky Quartet and the profound late Quartet in E-flat, Op. 127.