The Borodin Quartet – in concert at The Vienna Festival 2012 – June 19, 2012 – Deutsche Welle/Radio Nacional España –
Chamber music this week. A concert by The Borodin Quartet given during the 2012 Vienna Festival and featuring the music of Tchaikovsky and Brahms. Opening with the Quartet Movement in B-flat Major by Tchaikovsky. Followed by Tchaikovsky’s Quartet in D Major op. 11. The concert concludes with Brahms Quartet Op. 51 Number 1.
From The Borodin Quartet’s Website:
The Borodin Quartet was formed in 1945 by four students from the Moscow Conservatory. Calling itself the Moscow Philharmonic Quartet, the group changed its name to Borodin Quartet ten years later and remains one of the very few existing established chamber ensembles with uninterrupted longevity. The world has changed beyond recognition since 1945; the Borodin Quartet, meanwhile, has retained its commitment to tonal beauty, technical excellence and penetrating musicianship. The ensemble’s cohesion and vision have survived successive changes in personnel, thanks not least to the common legacy shared by its members from their training at the Moscow Conservatory. The current members of the Quartet are Ruben Aharonian, Sergei Lomovsky, Igor Naidin and Vladimir Balshin.
In addition to performing quartets, they regularly joins forces with other distinguished musicians to further explore the chamber music repertoire. Their partners have included Sviatoslav Richter, Yuri Bashmet, Michael Collins, Mario Brunello, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Christoph Eschenbach, Boris Berezovsky, Denis Matsuev and Nikolai Lugansky. The Quartet also regularly receives invitations to give masterclasses, and to serve as jury members at major international competitions.
Described by the Daily Telegraph Australia as “the Russian grand masters”, their particular affinity with Russian repertoire is based on constant promotion, performances and recording of the pillars of Russian string quartet music – Borodin, Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich, as well as Glinka, Stravinsky, Prokofiev and Schnittke. The Quartet is universally recognised for its genuine interpretation of Russian music, generating critical acclaim all over the world; the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes about them “here we have not four individual players, but a single sixteen-stringed instrument of great virtuosity”.
Hit the play button and exhale – it’s the middle of the week after all.
