Carnegie Hall

Passion coupled with precision, unheard-of expressivity, and pure emotion characterize the concerts of the Belcea Quartet. With Romanian violinist Corina Belcea, Korean Australian Suyeon Kang on second violin, Polish violist Krzysztof Chorzelski, and French cellist Antoine Lederlin, four different artistic provenances meet and unite to create unique excellence.

The Belcea Quartet’s repertoire spans Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven to Bartók, Janáček, and Szymanowski. The ensemble has also introduced new works by current composers such as Julian Anderson, Guillaume Connesson, Joseph Phibbs, Krzysztof Penderecki, Thomas Larcher, and Mark-Anthony Turnage. These commissioned works are created in association with the Belcea Quartet Trust, the quartet’s foundation.

In addition to complete recordings of string quartets by Bartók, Beethoven, Brahms (winner of the Diapason d’or de l’année 2016), and Britten, the ensemble’s wide-ranging discography includes works by Berg, Dutilleux, Mozart, Schoenberg, Schubert, Shostakovich, Janáček, and Ligeti. In 2022, Alpha Classics released Brahms’s two string sextets performed with violist Tabea Zimmermann and cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras. The quartet’s performances of the complete Beethoven string quartets at the Vienna Konzerthaus in 2012 were released on DVD by EuroArts in 2014, followed by the release of a recording of Britten’s three string quartets in 2015.

From 2017 to 2020, the Belcea Quartet held the prestigious position of ensemble in residence at the Pierre Boulez Saal in Berlin. In addition, the quartet has been part of a shared string quartet series at the Vienna Konzerthaus since 2010. In the 2021–2022 season, Quatuor Ébène became its partner ensemble there.

This season, the Belcea Quartet’s concerts take it to renowned venues such as Wigmore Hall in the UK, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in France, and Flagey in Brussels. A special highlight is an octet tour with the Quatuor Ébène through North America, South America, and Asia.

Corina Belcea plays a violin by Giovanni Battista Guadagnini (1755) kindly on loan from MERITO String Instruments Trusts Vienna. Suyeon Kang plays a custom-made violin by Julia Maria Pasch. Krzysztof Chorzelski plays a viola by Nicola Amati (ca. 1670). Antoine Lederlin plays a cello by Matteo Goffriller (1722) kindly on loan from MERITO String Instruments Trusts Vienna.

Attending a concert by the Quatuor Ébène is a musical happening. In the past two decades, the quartet has set standards by making familiar repertoire accessible and by constantly seeking a dialogue with the audience. Last spring, Yuya Okamoto joined the quartet’s esteemed ranks, adding a new dimension.

Quatuor Ébène’s unprecedented and outstanding success at the 2004 ARD International Music Competition marked the beginning of its rise to fame, resulting in numerous other prizes and awards. In 2005, the quartet was awarded the Belmont Prize of the Forberg-Schneider Foundation; in 2007, it was a winner of the Borletti-Buitoni Trust; and in 2019, it became the first ensemble ever to be honored with the Frankfurt Music Prize.

Quatuor Ébène’s albums—with recordings of Bartók, Beethoven, Debussy, Haydn, Fauré, and the Mendelssohn siblings—have received numerous awards, including a Gramophone Award, BBC Music Magazine Award, and Midem Classic Award. But first and foremost is its recording of Beethoven’s 16 string quartets, for which the quartet travelled across six continents between May 2019 and January 2020. With this complete recording, the four celebrated their 20th stage anniversary.

In January 2021, the quartet established a string quartet class at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Munich as part of the newly founded Quatuor Ébène Academy, and last season, the Philharmonie Luxembourg named the quartet its resident ensemble.

Pierre Colombet plays a 1717 Antonio Stradivari violin, the “Piatti,” kindly loaned by a generous sponsor through Beare’s International Violin Society. Gabriel Le Magadure plays a Bartolomeo Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù violin (Cremona 1743–1745) loaned by Serge and Florent Boyer luthiers. Marie Chilemme plays a 1734 Stradivari viola, the “Gibson,” generously loaned by the Stradivari Foundation Habisreutinger. Yuya Okamoto plays a cello by Giovanni Grancino of Milan from 1682.