The Martinů Quartet () is a Czech

string quartet The term string quartet refers to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two Violin, violini ...

ensemble founded in 1976, originally under the name ''Havlák Quartet'' by students of Professor Viktor Moučka at the

Prague Conservatory The Prague Conservatory () is a public music school in Prague, Czech Republic, founded in 1808. Currently, the school offers four- or six-year courses, which can be compared to the level of a high school diploma in other countries. Graduates c ...

. In 1985, with the approval of th
Bohuslav Martinů Foundation
the quartet assumed its present name ''Martinů Quartet'', pledging to promote the chamber music of Czech composer

Bohuslav Martinů Bohuslav Jan Martinů (; December 8, 1890 – August 28, 1959) was a Czech composer of modern classical music. He wrote 6 symphony, symphonies, 15 operas, 14 ballet scores and a large body of orchestral, chamber music, chamber, vocal and ins ...

. The quartet specialises in the works of Czech composers such as Smetana, Dvořák and Janáček, and especially the works of Bohuslav Martinů. They perform regularly at the

Prague Spring Festival The Prague Spring International Music Festival (, commonly , Prague Spring) is a classical music festival held every year in Prague, Czech Republic, with symphony orchestras and chamber music ensembles from around the world. The first festival ...

as well as concerts in many European Countries, the United States, Canada and Japan. The quartet also teaches chamber music performance at two annual chamber music workshops in the Czech Republic, which are open to both amateur and professional musicians.

Members

*Lubomír Havlák, first violin *Adéla Štajnochrová, second violin *Zbyněk Paďourek, viola *Jitka Vlašánková, violoncello

Awards

The Martinů Quartet took part in eight international chamber music competitions and won awards at each event, most notably at the

and the competitions held in Evian, Florence, Munich (ARD) and Portsmouth. In 2001, the quartet was awarded the Bohuslav Martinů Price by the Bohuslav Martinů Foundation in recognition of the quartet's achievement promoting the chamber music of Bohuslav Martinů. In 2003, the quartet's recording of Sylvie Bodorová's ''Terezín Ghetto Requiem'' received the award. In 2004, the quartet received the celebrated MIDEM award in Cannes for the best CD of the year in the category ''solo and ensemble repertoire of the 20th century''.

Recordings

The Martinů Quartet has released more than 20 CDs on major classical music labels, most notably on

Naxos Naxos (; , ) is a Greek island belonging to the Cyclades island group. It is the largest island in the group. It was an important centre during the Bronze Age Cycladic Culture and in the Ancient Greek Archaic Period. The island is famous as ...

, but also Arcos Diva,

Harmonia Mundi Harmonia Mundi is a record label that specializes in classical music, jazz, and world music (on the World Village label). It was founded in France in 1958 and is now a subsidiary of PIAS Entertainment Group, which is itself owned by Universal M ...

and others. In addition to recordings for release on CD, they have also recorded for radio broadcasts by

Czech Radio Czech Radio (, ČRo) is the public radio broadcaster of the Czech Republic operating continuously since 1923. It is the oldest national radio broadcaster in continental Europe and the second-oldest in Europe after the BBC. Czech Radio was esta ...

Radio France Radio France () is the French national public radio broadcaster. Stations Radio France offers seven national networks: *France Inter — Radio France's "generalist media, generalist" station, featuring entertaining and informative talk mixed wi ...

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

, ARD and

ORF ORF or Orf may refer to: * Norfolk International Airport, IATA airport code ORF * Observer Research Foundation, an Indian research institute * One Race Films, a film production company founded by Vin Diesel * Open reading frame, a portion of the g ...

. The quartet's most highly acclaimed CD releases are * The complete string quartets by Bohuslav Martinů, released in 3 volumes on Naxos ** Vol.1, string quartets ''Tri jezdci'', #1 and #2 in 1995, #8.553782
Review on ''Classics Today''
** Vol.2, string quartets #3 and #6 in 1996, #8.553783
Review on ''Classics Today''
** Vol.3, string quartets #4, #5 and #7 in 1997, #8.553784
Review on ''Classics Today''
* ''Terezín Ghetto Requiem'' by Sylvie Bodorová and string quartet by Ronald Stevenson, released on Arco Diva in 2003, #UP 0052-2 131 * Piano quintets and violin sonatas by Bohuslav Martinů, released on Naxos in 2007, #8.557861
Review on ''Classics Today''

Publications

The Martinů Quartet has been featured in multiple non-trivial published works in reliable and reputable media such as the Czech online musical encyclopedia published by the music faculty of

Masaryk University Masaryk University (MU) (; ) is the second largest university in the Czech Republic, a member of the Compostela Group and the Utrecht Network. Founded in 1919 in Brno, it now consists of ten faculties and 35,115 students. It is named after To ...

of Brno, the Grove musical encyclopedia published by

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', ''Classic Today'' magazine, ''Music Web UK'' and others.

External links

Martinů Quartet website

PLAYWIP chamber music workshop

Sources

''Kvarteto Martinů'' entry in the musical encyclopedia published by the Music Faculty of Masaryk University in Brno
* Grove musical encyclopedia published by Oxford University (access to online version restricted to paying subscribers) * ''Classics Today''
MIDEM 2004 Award winners
* ''Music Web UK'', * Article in ''The New Yorker'', February 24, 2003 * Article by Michael Beckerman in ''The New York Times'', June 15, 2003 * Article by Tim Ashley in ''The Guardian'', May 11, 2007 * Article by Carl Bauman, ''American Record Guide'', September/October 2000 * Articles by Jan Smaczny, ''BBC Music Magazine'', October 2000 and February 2003 * Article by Bob McQuiston, ''Classical Lost and Found'', April 2007 * Archives of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (AMU) * Archives of the Bohuslav Martinů Foundation in Prague and Basel * Archives of the Prague Spring International Music Festival * Archives of the ARD broadcasting corporation
''Kvarteto Martinů'' entry at Žižkov's music festival website
* ''Under the Linden'' Festiva

* Martinů Quarte
profile
* Naxos artist

{{DEFAULTSORT:Martinu Quartet Czech string quartets Musical groups established in 1976 1976 establishments in Czechoslovakia