THE PAVEL HAAS QUARTET TO RECEIVE THE RECORDING OF THE YEAR

The globally renowned Pavel Haas Quartet released in October an album featuring Shostakovich’s Qu­artets Nos. 2, 7 and 8, which has met with great critical acclaim in the Czech Republic and beyond. On 18 January 2020, the CD received the Recording of the Year prize within the Classic Prague Awards, which originated four years ago and are the only classical music accolades in the Czech Republic.

The Pavel Haas Quartet, who have released their albums exclusively on Supraphon, have garnered numerous prestigious international prizes. These include six Gramophone Awards and two BBC Music Magazine Awards, a MIDEM Classical Award, a Diapason d’Or de l’Année, etc. Now the ensemble have won their very first domestic prize. Peter Jarůšek said: “Shostakovich’s wor­ks are very close to our hearts. This album is in stark contrast to our previous, for the most part sun-drenched recordings. All the happier we are that this particular recording has received the wonderful award. We feel greatly honoured.”

The Pavel Haas Quartet commenced the second part of the current season with two recitals in Germany – at Burgdorf Castle and in Cuxhaven. At the end of January, they will give three concerts within the String Quartet Biennale Amsterdam, the world’s largest–scale string quartet festival. They will be followed by recitals at the Philharmonie Luxembourg and in Geneva, three concerts along with Boris Giltburg in London (Wigmore Hall), Bristol and Cambridge, at which the ensemble will also play Shostakovich’s Pi­ano Quintet in G major and Dvořák’s Piano Quintet No. 2 in A major. In March, the PHQ will tour the USA and Canada (Kansas City, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Cincinnati, Houston, Vancouver, Quebec, Montreal, Toronto), with Boris Giltburg again performing with them as a guest. In May, they will get together with a former member of the ensemble, the violist Pavel Nikl, and another former co-performer, the cellist Danjulo Ishizako, to give two concerts at the traditional Schubertiade in Hohenems, followed by a return to Wigmore Hall. At the end of the season, the Pavel Haas Quartet are scheduled to tour China, Hong Kong and Singapore.

The Pavel Haas Quartet was founded in 2002 and bears the name of the Czech composer Pavel Haas (1899–1944). Following their victory in the Prague Spring Festival Competition and Premio Paolo Borciani in Reggio Emilia, Italy in 2005, the Pavel Haas Quartet soon established themselves as one of the world’s most exciting contemporary chamber ensembles. The quartet held the title of BBC New Generation Artist and received a number of prestigious accolades (e.g. MIDEM Classical Award, two times BBC Music Magazine Award and six times Gramophone Award).

Pavel Haas Quartet: Veronika Jarůšková (1st violin), Marek Zwiebel (2nd violin), Jiří Kabát (viola), Peter Jarůšek (violoncello)

Further information on: http://www.pavelhaasquartet.com/en