Streichquartett Joseph Haydn & Béla Bartók Belenus Quartett

• Joseph Haydn: Streichquartett in d-Moll op. 76 Nr. 2
• 1I. Allegro06:54
• 2II. Andante o piú tosto allegretto05:21
• 3III. Menuet. Allegro03:10
• 4IV. Finale. Vivace Assai04:18
• Béla Bartók: Streichquartett Nr. 4 Sz. 91
• 5I. Allegro06:23
• 6II. Prestissimo, con sordino02:55
• 7III. Non troppo lento05:24
• 8IV. Allegretto pizzicato02:48
• 9V. Allegro molto05:41
• Total Runtime42:54

Info for Streichquartett Joseph Haydn & Béla Bartók

The Belenus Quartet was awarded with the special prize for best Haydn interpretation at the "Sandor Vegh Competition" in 2012. With exciting vitality, sensitivity to rich nuances and powerful virtuosity, the four young musicians are brilliant and breathtaking in their reading of Bartók's String Quartet No. 4; there is hardly another quartet in the literature which features such depth and diversity of sound in all of the instruments. Each of the five movements creates a special sound cosmos. For example, hardly anywhere else in the string quartet literature is there a movement of pizzicato throughout like the fourth movement.

Seraina Pfenninger, violin
Anne Battegay, violin
Esther Fritzsche, viola
Seraphina Rufer, violoncello

The Belenus Quartett was founded in Basel in 2004 and has a new formation as of October 2010, composed of students at the Zurich University of the Arts. They have been taught by members of the Erato, Aria, Amati, Orpheus and Gringolts quartets as well as Quatuor Mosaïques. Currently their principal teachers are Stephan Goerner (Carmina Quartett) and Isabel Charisius (Alban Berg Quartett). During 2010/2011 they also studied with Walter Levin (LaSalle Quartett) and Oliver Wille (Kuss Quartett) at the Basel University of Music.

In 2011 and 2012, they were prize winners at the “Orpheus Swiss Chamber Music Competition”. The quartet was also among the finalists at the international competition “Franz Schubert und die Musik der Moderne” 2012 and at the 1st international “Sándor Végh Competition” 2012. At the “Sándor Végh Competition” 2012, the quartet was awarded a special prize for the best Haydn interpretation. The quartet also won 1st prize at the “Interpretation competition for contemporary music 2012” at the Zurich University of the Arts as well as the “Kiwanis Competition 2012”. They were awarded third prize at the “Hans Schaeuble Competition” 2012. The Belenus Quartett have above all given concerts in Switzerland and Germany. Their repertoire spans from early Haydn quartets to contemporary works such as “Ph(r)asen” by Swiss composer David Philip Hefti.

Booklet for Streichquartett Joseph Haydn & Béla Bartók