Edvard Grieg: String Quartet, Op. 27 - Johan Svendsen: String Octet, Op. 3 Kocian Quartet & M. Nostitz Quartet

• Edvard Grieg (1843 - 1907): String Quartet No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 27:
• 1 Grieg: String Quartet No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 27: I. Un poco andante - Allegro molto ed agitato 11:54
• 2 Grieg: String Quartet No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 27: II. Romanza (Andantino - Allegro agitato) 06:16
• 3 Grieg: String Quartet No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 27: III. Intermezzo (Allegro molto marcato - Più vivo e scherzando) 06:17
• 4 Grieg: String Quartet No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 27: IV. Finale (Lento - Presto al saltarello) 09:33
• Johan Severin Svendsen (1840 -1911): Octet for Strings in A Major, Op. 3:
• 5 Svendsen: Octet for Strings in A Major, Op. 3: I. Allegro risoluto ben marcato 11:02
• 6 Svendsen: Octet for Strings in A Major, Op. 3: II. Allegro scherzerozo 07:41
• 7 Svendsen: Octet for Strings in A Major, Op. 3: III. Andante sostenuto 10:55
• 8 Svendsen: Octet for Strings in A Major, Op. 3: IV. Finale (Moderato - Allegro assai con fuoco) 09:51
• Total Runtime 01:13:29

Info for Edvard Grieg: String Quartet, Op. 27 - Johan Svendsen: String Octet, Op. 3

Eine originelle Paarung von Komponisten, die Landsleute und Freunde waren und in den Jahren 1872-1900 die romantische norwegische Schule in Europa auf internationaler Ebene durchsetzten. Griegs Karriere als Pianist war bescheidener als die des Geigers Svendsen, und letzterer übertraf ihn auch als Dirigent, indem er seine eigenen Kompositionen (Sinfonien, norwegische Rhapsodien...) zusammen mit Beethoven, Mendelssohn... und Wagner in Europa durchsetzte. Ein Jahrhundert später ist das Publikum des Komponisten von Peer Gynt universell, während Svendsens Werk auf die skandinavischen Konzertsäle beschränkt bleibt. Dies ist die erste moderne Einspielung seines Oktetts, einer jugendlichen Partitur, die durch ihre Anleihen bei der Folklore belebt wird und die Regeln der Leipziger Schule, in der er ausgebildet wurde, unnachgiebig anwendet. Eine Gegenüberstellung von Namen, die vor mehr als einem Jahrhundert selbstverständlich war!

Kocian Quartet
M. Nostitz Quartet

The Kocian Quartet
is a Czech classical chamber ensemble. Originally named the New String Quartet, it was founded in 1972 by three members of the Prague Symphony Orchestra and Pravoslav Kohout.

Zemlinsky Quartet
Founded in 1994 while the members were still students, the ZEMLINSKY QUARTET has become a much lauded example of the Czech string quartet tradition. The Zemlinsky Quartet won the First Grand Prize at the Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition in 2010. They have also been awarded top prizes at the Banff International String Quartet Competition (2007), Prague Spring International Music Competition (2005) and London International String Quartet Competition (2006), where they also received the Audience Prize. The Quartet was recipient of the Alexander Zemlinsky Advancement Award in 2008. Other notable prizes include Beethoven International Competition (1999), New Talent Bratislava (2003), Martinů Foundation String Quartet Competition (2004), and the Prize of Czech Chamber Music Society (2005). In the season 2016/17, Zemlinsky Quartet was appointed as the residential ensemble of the Czech Chamber Music Society.

While students at the Prague Conservatory and the Academy of Performing Arts Prague, the ensemble was coached by members of renowned Czech string quartets including the Talich, Prague, Kocian and Pražák Quartets. The ensemble also took part in several master classes including ProQuartet, in France and Sommerakademie in Reichenau, Austria where they were awarded First Prize for the best interpretation of a work by Janáček. From 2005 to 2008, the quartet studied with Walter Levin, the first violinist of LaSalle Quartet. Their recent mentor has been Josef Klusoň, the violist of the Pražák Quartet.

Zemlinsky Quartet is named after the Austrian composer, conductor and teacher Alexander Zemlinsky (1871-1942), whose enormous contribution to Czech, German and Jewish culture during his 16-year residence in Prague had been underrated until recently. His four string quartets (the second one being dedicated to his student and brother-in-law Arnold Schönberg) belong to the basic repertoire of the ensemble. Since 2005, the quartet has maintained a special relationship with the Alexander Zemlinsky Foundation in Vienna.

The Zemlinsky Quartet performs regularly in the Czech Republic and abroad (Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Monaco, Luxembourg, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Great Britain, Ireland, Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Canada, USA, Brazil, Japan, South Korea). Recent major appearances of the Zemlinsky Quartet include London’s Wigmore Hall, Cité de la Musique in Paris, Library of Congress, Place des Arts in Montreal, Prague Spring Festival, and their New York debut on Schneider/New School Concerts Series.

Their vast repertoire contains more than 200 works ranging from Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, and Dvorak to works by contemporary composers. The members of the ensemble also perform as soloists and are individual prize-winners of several competitions (Concertino Praga, Spohr International Competition Weimar, Tribune of Young Artists UNESCO, Rotary Music Competition Nürnberg,Beethoven International Competition, Kocian International Competition).

Between 2006-2011, the Zemlinsky Quartet were Assistant Quartet-in-Residence at Musikakademie Basel in Switzerland. Music education is an important part of their professional life and during their tours, the quartet is often invited to give master classes to students of any age. They also perform educational concerts for students. Recently, František Souček and Petr Holman have been appointed Professors at the Prague Conservatory.

Booklet for Edvard Grieg: String Quartet, Op. 27 - Johan Svendsen: String Octet, Op. 3