“A string quartet that has been making music at the pinnacle of string playing for more than 20 years.”

 

The history of the Weinberg Quartet actually stems from 2001, when four talented young students studying with Galina Soboleva at the string faculty of the Tchaikovsky Academic Music College at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory came together as the Rusquartet. The quartet received intensive coaching from Dmitry Shebalin (violist of the Borodin Quartet). In 2007, Henk Guittart (violist of the Schoenberg Quartet) became one of the quartet’s permanent mentors. During their formative years, the quartet attended master classes given by leading performers such as Valentin Berlinsky (Borodin Quartet), Mikhail Kopelman (Borodin Quartet, Kopelman Quartet), Gerhard Schultz (Alban Berg Quartet), Joel Smirnoff (Juilliard Quartet), Philip Setzer (Emerson Quartet), Don Weilerstein (Cleveland Quartet) and Gabor Takacs (Takacs Quartet).

The quartet was invited for residencies at the Banff Centre (Canada), Villecroze Academy (France), Stanford University (USA) and McGill University (Montreal).
The wealth and diversity of the quartet’s repertoire has always compelled its audiences to take a different look at the traditional string quartet repertoire. In addition to the classical repertoire (Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, Bartok, Schoenberg), they have presented many new and unusual compositions to the public.

In 2023, the quartet was honoured to receive the approval of the heirs of the renowned composer Mieczyslav Weinberg to bear the name Weinberg Quartet.

 

Ksenia Gamaris - violin
Anna Yanchishina - violin
Lev Serov - viola
Peter Karetnikov - cello
 

The Weinberg Quartet has been acclaimed by the international press for its exceptional professional standard, impeccable taste, technical perfection, energy, talent and an uncanny ability to surprise their audiences while remaining true to the stylistic nuances of the music.
One of the most highly acclaimed chamber music ensembles in Russia, the Weinberg Quartet has been active both on the concert stage and in music education for more than twenty years. Originally founded in 2001 under the name Rusquartet, the award-winning quartet has performed on many of the world’s leading stages.

The Weinberg Quartet has participated in international festivals such as the Banff Summer Arts Festival (Canada), CONSONANCES (Saint-Nazaire, France) and the Mecklenburg Music Festival (Germany). They served as the special quartet in residence of the Orlando Festival (the Netherlands) from 2016 until the very last edition (2022), giving countless concerts and coaching many young professional ensembles.

The Weinberg Quartet has shared the stage with many famous musicians at prestigious concert venues, such as the Grand, Small and Rachmaninov Halls of the Tchaikovsky Conservatory, the Moscow Philharmonic and the Moscow International House of Music, Musikverein (Vienna), Essen Philharmonie (Germany), Philharmonie de Paris (France) and Rolston Recital Hall at the Banff Centre (Canada). The Weinberg Quartet has performed in Russia, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, France, Canada, Australia and China. It has released four CDs on the Belgian label Etcetera.

In addition to the classical quartet repertoire, ranging from Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven to Shostakovich, Bartók, Schoenberg and Berg, the Weinberg Quartet actively promotes music by modern composers, often presenting premiere performances. The Weinberg Quartet’s musical treasure trove includes works by composers such as Samuil Feinberg, Mikhail Marutaev, Tomas Korganov, Alexander Lokshin, Lex van Delden, Oscar van Hemel, Louis Andriessen, Kelly-Marie Murphy, Steve Martland, Jonathan Dove and Olli Mustonen. Jonathan Dove’s String Quartet No. 4 ‘How we spent the night’, Alexander Tchaikovsky’s String Quartet No. 8 and Vladislav Agafonnikov’s string quartet ‘The Poem’ were composed especially for the Weinberg Quartet.

The members of the Weinberg Quartet have all received training as soloists and are laureates of international competitions. At present, these outstanding musicians serve on the faculty of the Gnessins School and the Tchaikovsky Conservatory.

The Weinberg Quartet organises concerts and educational musical events to support and further develop string quartet playing. The quartet presents concert lectures for children and youth, and has appeared many times on TV and radio, with such broadcasters as CBC Radio (Canada), Dutch National Radio, SBS Radio (Australia), Orpheus Radio, Russia Today and Al Jazeera.

 

programmes

Beethoven: Quartet No. 6 in B flat major, Op. 18 No. 6
Shostakovich: Quartet No. 11 in F minor, Op. 122
Tchaikovsky: Quartet No. 2 in F major, Op. 22

Weinberg: Quartet No. 5 in B flat major, Op. 27
Beethoven: 'Große Fuge' in B flat major, Op. 133
Brahms: Quartet No. 1 in C minor, Op. 51 No. 1

Beethoven: Quartet No. 7 in F major, Op. 59 No. 1
Tchaikovsky: String Quartet Movement in B flat major
Zemlinsky: Quartet No. 4, Op. 25

Stravinsky: Concertino for String Quartet
Debussy: Quartet in G minor, Op. 10
Beethoven: Quartet No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 131

Other repertoire available on request.

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