Borodin Quartet

Quartet is universally recognised for its genuine also regularly receives invitations to give interpretation of Russian music, generating masterclasses, and to serve as jury members at critical acclaim all over the world; the major international competitions. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes about them “here we have not four individual players, Highlights in 2017/18 include performances at but a single sixteen-stringed instrument of great Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Wigmore Hall virtuosity”. London, Vancouver Playhouse, 92 nd St Y New York, Toronto Summer Music Festival, Music The Quartet's connection with Shostakovich's and Beyond Festival Ottawa, Stockholm Concert chamber music is intensely personal, since it Hall, National Concert Hall Dublin, Aix-en- was stimulated by a close relationship with the Provence, Philharmonie Paris, Palau de la composer, who personally supervised its study Musica de Valencia, Società dei Concerti di of each of his quartets. Widely regarded as Milano, and Moscow, with tours of Italy and The definitive interpretations, the Quartet’s cycles of Netherlands; playing quartets of Schubert, “ […] their almost preternatural the complete Shostakovich's quartets have been Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, Myaskovsky, ability to synchronise as though performed all over the world, including Vienna, Beethoven, Haydn, Wolf - and of course Borodin. Zurich, Frankfurt, Madrid, Lisbon, Seville, Chamber music partners in 2017/18 include they were one single instrument.” London, Paris and New York. The idea of Barry Douglas, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Dmitry The Independent performing a complete cycle of Shostakovich's Masleev, Alexei Volodin, and mezzo soprano quartets originated with the Borodin Quartet. In Karine Deshayes.

recent seasons, the ensemble has returned to a

broader repertoire, including works by Schubert, The Quartet’s first release on the Onyx label,

Prokofiev, Borodin and Tchaikovsky, while featuring Borodin, Schubert, Webern and

continuing to be welcomed and acclaimed at Rachmaninov, was nominated for a Grammy in

major venues throughout the world. 2005 in the “Best Chamber Performance”

category. The Borodin Quartet has produced a

The Borodin Quartet was formed in 1945 by four rich heritage of recordings over several decades,

students from the Moscow Conservatory and for labels including EMI, RCA and Teldec,

remains one of the very few existing established including the Complete Beethoven quartets for

chamber ensembles with uninterrupted CHANDOS. The Quartet’s recording of the

longevity. The world has changed beyond complete Shostakovich String Quartet Cycle for

recognition since 1945; the Borodin Quartet, Decca will be released in August 2018, following

meanwhile, has retained its commitment to the first release in the cycle, a dedicated 70th Ruben Aharonian - violin tonal beauty, technical excellence and anniversary CD (of string quartets Nos.1, 8, and Sergei Lomovsky - violin penetrating musicianship. The ensemble’s 14), released in March 2015. . Igor Naidin - viola cohesion and vision have survived successive Vladimir Balshin – cello changes in personnel, thanks not least to the

common legacy shared by its members from Valid for use until 31 August 2018 their training at the Moscow Conservatory. The

current members of the Quartet are Ruben For updated versions please contact

Aharonian, Sergei Lomovsky, Igor Naidin and [email protected] For more than seventy years, the Borodin Vladimir Balshin. Quartet has been celebrated for its insight and authority in the chamber music repertoire. In addition to performing quartets, the Borodin Revered for its searching performances of Quartet regularly joins forces with other Beethoven and Shostakovich, the Quartet is distinguished musicians to further explore the equally at home in music ranging from Mozart chamber music repertoire. Their partners have to Stravinsky. included Sviatoslav Richter, Yuri

Bashmet, Michael Collins, Alexei Volodin, Mario Described by the Daily Telegraph Australia as Brunello, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Christoph “the Russian grand masters”, the Borodin Eschenbach, Boris Berezovsky, Denis Matsuev Quartet’s particular affinity with Russian and Nikolai Lugansky. The Quartet have also repertoire is based on constant promotion, recently collaborated with Vladimir Jurowski in performances and recording of the pillars of Dresden performing the Martinu and Schulhoff Russian string quartet music - Borodin, concertos for orchestra and string quartet, a Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich, as well as partnership which they will repeat this season in Glinka, Stravinsky, Prokofiev and Schnittke. The Moscow and next season in London. The Quartet

Rayfield Allied Member of the International Artist Southbank House, Managers’ Association Black Prince Road, London SE 1 7 SJ , UK Rayfield Allied acts as agent only and can www.rayfieldallied.com accept no responsibility as principal E-mail [email protected] Telephone +44 (0) 20 3176 5500 Facsimile +44 (0) 700 602 4143