Smetana & Janacek String Quartets Jerusalem Quartet

• Bedřich Smetana (1824-1884): String Quartet no.1 in E minor ‘From My Life’ Quatuor à cordes n°1 en mi mineur “De ma vie” Streichquartett Nr.1 in e-Moll „Aus meinem Leben“
• 1I. Allegro vivo appassionato06:52
• 2II. Allegro moderato a la Polka05:29
• 3III. Largo sostenuto08:32
• 4IV. Vivace05:25
• Leoš Janáček (1854-1928): String Quartet no.1 ‘Kreutzer Sonata’ Quatuor à cordes n°1 “Sonate à Kreutzer” Streichquartett Nr.1 „Kreutzer-Sonate“
• 5I. Adagio. Con moto04:26
• 6II. Con moto04:48
• 7III. Con moto. Vivo. Andante04:30
• 8IV. Con moto (Adagio). Più mosso05:19
• String Quartet no.2 ‘Intimate Pages’ Quatuor à cordes n°2 “Lettres intimes” Streichquartett Nr.2 „Intime Briefe“
• 9I. Andante. Con moto. Allegro05:58
• 10II. Adagio. Vivace06:08
• 11III. Moderato. Andante. Adagio05:27
• 12IV. Allegro. Andante. Adagio08:13
• Total Runtime01:11:07

Info zu Smetana & Janacek String Quartets

The acclaimed Jerusalem Quartet's latest release focuses works by two giants of Czech music. Though Smetana, the founder of the Czech national school, and Janácek, his spiritual heir, are best known as operatic composers, they also left strongly autobiographical chamber works. Composed when he was already profoundly deaf, Smetana's String Quartet No.1 looks back over the different stages of his life. Also written late in life, Janácek's second quartet, subtitled Intimate Letters, describes his unfulfilled passion for Kamila Stösslová, his junior by 38 years.

One might see them as the father and the heir. On the one hand, Bedrich Smetana, whose oeuvre is regarded as having founded the Czech national school; on the other, Leoš Janácek, his spiritual son (with Dvorák acting as the link between the two), brought up in the same love of the national language and culture. While opera took up a central position in both men’s lives, chamber music, and the string quartet, in particular, gave their output the indispensable intimate coloration that allows us to read and listen to their innermost thoughts and feelings. The Jerusalem Quartet, former BBC New Generation Artist and winner of the first Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award, is a welcome guest in the world’s most prestigious concert halls and festivals.

The quartet’s discography on harmonia mundi has earned many international prizes and they were the first artist[s] to win 3 BBC Music Magazine Awards.

“Passion, precision, warmth, a gold blend: these are the trademarks of this excellent Israeli string quartet.” (The Times)

Jerusalem Quartet:
Alexander Pavlovsky, 1st violin
Sergei Bresler, 2nd violin
Ori Kam, viola
Kyril Zlotnikov, cello

Awards: Gramophone Artist of the Year 2013

Das Jerusalem-Quartett
ließ sich nach seiner Gründung im Jahr 1993 in Jerusalem von dem Violinisten Avi Abramovitch beraten. Von 1999 bis 2001 wurde das Quartett von der BBC gefördert (BBC New Generation Artists) und erhielt 2003 den erstmals verliehenen Borletti- Buitoni Trust Award.

Das Jerusalem Quartett gastiert in den renommiertesten Konzertsälen der Welt, auch in den Vereinigten Staaten, wo es im Musikleben zunehmend präsent ist. Das Quartett gibt Konzerte mit Alexander Melnikow, Lawrence Power und Sharon Kam.

Die Einspielungen des Quartetts für harmonia mundi sind mit zahlreichen internationalen Preisen ausgezeichnet worden. Seine Interpretation von Schuberts Quartett Der Tod und das Mädchen erhielt den Preis Diapason d’or des Jahres 2008 und einen ECHO Klassik 2009, die zuletzt erschienene Aufnahme des Klavierquintetts und -quartetts von Schumann wurde vom BBC Music Magazine, von Scherzo und von Télérama ausgezeichnet.

Booklet für Smetana & Janacek String Quartets