Schoenberg: Presto in C major for string quartet

The Ruysdael Quartet was formed in 1996 and has recorded several CDs.

Tully Potter in the Strad in May wrote “Tchaikovsky’s First Quartet poses no problem to skilled musicians but even so, you are not likely to hear it much better played.”

Since its creation in 2004, Alfama quartet has made quite a breakthrough thanks to its subtlety, elegance and dynamism.

Selected by ProQuartet in 2006, these four young people work under the guidance of the Danel Quartet, and have worked with Walter Levin (LaSalle Quartet), Rainer Schmidt (Hagen Quartet), Heime Muller (Artemis Quartet) and Eberhard Feltz.

Even if they have already been recorded (a.o. for the Leo Brouwer Quintet with guitarist Denis Sung-Hô, FUG524), this is in reality their first great premiere: a sensitive and intelligent exploration of orphan pages of the quartet repertoire: gems signed by famous names ranging from Mendelssohn to Britten, via Tchaikovsky, Wolf, Sibelius, Rachmaninov, Schoenberg and Webern.

The fifth volume devoted to Schönberg’s chamber music. On display here is writing that, after being based on traditional models (youthful Scherzo and Presto), evolves towards a melodic density and clarity of counterpoint making the Chamber Symphony, Op.9 (1906) accomplished and radiant as much in its chamber transcriptions as in the versions for full orchestra. The Quartet No.3 (1926) achieves a masterful balance between rhythm and harmony, melody and counterpoint, horizontality and verticality. For over 30 years, the Prazak Quartet has been at home on music stages worldwide. They are regular guests in the major European musical capitals—Prague, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Milan, Madrid, London, Berlin, Munich, etc.—and have been invited to participate at numerous international festivals, where they have collaborated with such artists as Menahem Pressler, Jon Nakamatsu, Cynthia Phelps, Roberto Diaz, Josef Suk, and Sharon Kam.

The Prazak Quartet records exclusively for Praga/Harmonia Mundi which, to date, has released over 30 award-winning CDs. In 2010 Pavel Hula succeeded founding first violinist Vaclav Remes, who was unable to continue performing due to a medical condition in his left hand. Pavel Hula was the longtime first violinist with the Czech-based Kocian Quartet, and has been a close friend of the Prazak Quartet for many years.