The Parisii Quartet is a French string quartet ensemble founded in 1981. [1]
A string quartet refers to (a) a musical ensemble consisting of four string players – two violin players, a viola player and a cellist – or (b) a piece written to be performed by such a group. The string quartet is one of the most prominent chamber ensembles in classical music, with most major composers, from the mid 18th century onwards, writing string quartets.
The Parisii Quartet was created in 1981 by four students from the Conservatoire de Paris, all first prize in instrument and chamber music.
The Conservatoire de Paris is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Currently known as the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Paris (CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue Jean Jaurès in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, France. The Conservatoire offers instruction in music and dance, drawing on the traditions of the "French School". Formerly the consrvatory also included drama, but in 1946 that division was moved into a separate school, the Conservatoire national supérieur d'art dramatique (CNSAD), for acting, theatre and drama. Today the conservatories operate under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and Communication and are associated with PSL Research University. The CNSMDP is also associated with the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Lyon (CNSMDL).
In 1986, the quartet won the Grand Prix Radio Canada in the Banff International Quartet Competition, a competition reserved for the top ten string quartets in the world, previously selected. Then in 1987, the formation won the Evian and Munich competitions.
Banff is a town within Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. It is located in Alberta's Rockies along the Trans-Canada Highway, approximately 126 km (78 mi) west of Calgary and 58 km (36 mi) east of Lake Louise. At 1,400 to 1,630 m above sea level, Banff is the community with the second highest elevation in Alberta, after Lake Louise.
Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, the second most populous German federal state. With a population of around 1.5 million, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Hamburg, as well as the 12th-largest city in the European Union. The city's metropolitan region is home to 6 million people. Straddling the banks of the River Isar north of the Bavarian Alps, it is the seat of the Bavarian administrative region of Upper Bavaria, while being the most densely populated municipality in Germany. Munich is the second-largest city in the Bavarian dialect area, after the Austrian capital of Vienna.
Since then, the Parisii Quartet has performed regularly with the most prestigious chamber music societies in the world. Great soloists such as Jean-Claude Pennetier, Régis Pasquier, Pascal Moraguès, Isabelle Moretti, Anne Queffélec and Michel Portal, joined the formation in the quintet repertoire.
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung featuring a single performer, who may be performing completely alone or supported by an accompanying instrument such as a piano or organ, a continuo group, or the rest of a choir, orchestra, band, or other ensemble. Performing a solo is "to solo", and the performer is known as a soloist.
Jean-Claude Pennetier is a French classical pianist.
Régis Pasquier is a French violinist from a family of musicians. His father Pierre Pasquier (1902–1986), a violist and his uncles Jean (1903), a violinist, and Étienne (1905–1997), a cellist, had founded a string trio, le Trio Pasquier. His brother Bruno Pasquier is a violist.
The repertoire of the Parisii Quartet is extensive, ranging from the 18th to the 21st century. Indeed, the four instrumentalists have often performed the premieres of contemporary pieces, both in France and abroad. Among these pieces are works by Pierre Boulez, Gilbert Amy, Régis Campo, Gérard Pesson, Guillaume Connesson, Laurent Lefrançois, Philippe Boivin, Garcia Roman, Tomás Marco, Richard Rodney Bennett, etc ... Their repertoire also includes works by Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms and Webern, not to mention the French music of the 20th century, with Franck, Fauré, Vierne, Debussy, Ravel and also Milhaud.
Pierre Louis Joseph Boulez CBE was a French composer, conductor, writer and creator of musical institutions. He was one of the dominant figures of the post-war classical music world.
Gilbert Amy is a French composer and conductor.
Régis Campo, born in Marseille in 1968, is a French composer.
Among their recordings are the quintets with oboe by Boccherini, or the world premiere recording of the Quartet Book by Boulez (complete Boulez box set at Deutsche Grammophon). Their discography also includes many complete quartets such as those of Beethoven, Brahms, Webern and Milhaud.
Their recordings of the quartets of Debussy and Ravel have been ranked ffff by Télérama and Choc by Le Monde de la musique , also distinguished by the prize for the new academy of music for the Franck and Webern CD. More recently, their recording of the string quartets and piano quintet of Reynaldo Hahn has been unanimously hailed by critics. [3]
Isaac Stern was an American violinist.
In European classical music, piano quartet denotes a chamber music composition for piano and three other instruments, or a musical ensemble comprising such instruments. Those other instruments are usually a string trio consisting of a violin, viola and cello.
The Lindsay String Quartet was a British string quartet from 1965 to 2005.
The Gramophone Classical Music Awards, launched in 1977, are one of the most significant honours bestowed on recordings in the classical record industry. They are often viewed as equivalent to or surpassing the American Grammy award, and referred to as the Oscars for classical music. They are widely regarded as the most influential and prestigious classical music awards in the world.
The Melos Quartet, also called the Melos Quartet Stuttgart, is a German string quartet musical ensemble based in Stuttgart, that was in existence from 1965 to 2005.
The Paganini Quartet was a virtuoso string quartet founded by its first violinist, Henri Temianka, in 1946. The quartet drew its name from the fact that all four of its instruments, made by Antonio Stradivari (1644–1737), had once been owned by the great Italian violinist and composer Niccolo Paganini (1782–1840).
The Arpeggione Quartet is a French string quartet, led by Isabelle Flory (violin), with Nicholas Risler (violin), Patrick Dussart (viola), and Marie-Thérèse Grisenti (cello).
The Juno Award for Classical Album of the Year has been awarded since 1977, as recognition each year for the best classical music album in Canada.
The Quartetto Italiano was a string quartet founded in Reggio Emilia in 1945. They made their debut in 1945 in Carpi when all four players were still in their early 20s. They were originally named Nuovo Quartetto Italiano before dropping the "Nuovo" tag in 1951. They are particularly noted for their recording of the complete cycle of Beethoven string quartets, made between 1967 and 1975. The quartet disbanded in 1980.
The Capet String Quartet was a French musical ensemble founded in 1893, which remained in existence until 1928 or later. It made a number of recordings and was considered one of the leading string quartets of its time.
The Loewenguth Quartet was a string quartet music ensemble led by the French violinist Alfred Loewenguth. It was particularly famous for performances of classical repertoire such as Beethoven, Mozart and Haydn quartets, and was active from the 1930s to the 1970s.
The Virtuoso String Quartet was a British quartet, founded by the Gramophone Company in 1924 to be the first such quartet established specifically for recording. In effect they displaced the Catterall Quartet from their position recording for HMV.
Philippe Bianconi is a French pianist.
The founder and first violinist, Samuel Kutcher (1898-1984), had by 1922 established himself as an accomplished solo artist and the previous year been a member of the Philharmonic String Quartet, playing second violin, along with Frederick Holding, E. Thomlinson (viola) and Giovanni Barbirolli ('cello).
The Pražák Quartet is a Czech string quartet established in 1972. It is one of the Czech Republic's premiere chamber ensembles. It was founded while its members were still students at Prague Conservatory (1974–1978). The quartet was awarded First Prize at the Evian International Competition in 1978 and the Prague Spring Festival Prize in 1979 with second places not being awarded at both the competitions to indicate the difference in level.
The Ébène Quartet is a French string quartet ensemble based in Boulogne-Billancourt, France.
The New World String Quartet was a classical music string quartet formed in Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States, in 1975 and active through the early 1990s. Founding members were: Yosef Yankelev and William Patterson, violins; Yuri Vasilaki, viola; and Ross Harbaugh, cello. These were also the members in a 1981 Minnesota Public Radio interview and performance. As of 1983, members were: Curtis J. Macomber and William Patterson, violins; Robert Dan, viola; and Ross T. Harbaugh, cello. These are also the members listed on the quartet's recording of Ben Johnston's String Quartet No. 6. As of 1985, members were: Curtis Macomber and Vahn Armstrong, violins; Robert Dan, viola; and Ross Harbaugh, cello. Members on recordings in the late 1980s and early 1990s included Curtis Macomber and Vahn Armstrong, violins; Benjamin Simon, viola; and Ross Harbaugh, cello. The quartet also recorded a Brahms piano quintet with Derek Han, piano.
Alfred Loewenguth was a 20th-century French classical violinist.
Jean-François Heisser is a French classical pianist.
The Ludwig Quartet is a French string quartet ensemble founded in 1985 and leading an international career. It is composed of Thierry Brodard, Manuel Doutrelant, Padrig Fauré (viola) and Anne Copéry (violoncello).
