THE PAVEL HAAS QUARTET CELEBRATED THEIR 20TH ANNIVERSARY

This year marks two decades since the violinist Veronika Jarůšková and the violist Pavel Nikl formed the today internationally celebrated Pavel Haas Quartet. The ensemble have performed at the world’s most prestigious concert venues (Wigmore Hall in London, the Musikverein in Vienna, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Carnegie Hall in New York, etc.) and have made nine critically acclaimed albums (Gramophone Award, BBC Music Magazine Award, Diapason d’Or de l’Année, Classic Prague Award, and other accolades). The venerable BBC Music Magazine has ranked the Pavel Haas Quartet among the 10 greatest string quartets of all time.

At a concert on 12 September at the Rudolfinum hall within the international Dvořák Prague festival, the Pavel Haas Quartet received a Jubilee Platinum Disc from Supraphon, the label that has released all their albums. On the occasion of the anniversary, Veronika Jarůšková said: “For me personally, music is the queen I have been honoured to serve for 20 years. Owing to music, I moved from children’s make-believe to a world of miracles, a land teeming in emotions and love, but also episodic torments. By and large, I have found and experienced in music everything that is part of life. And I feel immensely happy to have been able to share it with my colleagues in the quartet.” Iva Milerová, Supraphon’s director, added: “We treasure our collaboration with the Pavel Haas Quartet, who have been under Supraphon’s wings for 16 years now! They are amazing musicians, as well as fabulous people, who have been our friends over the long term. I look forward to working with them on many more musical projects in the future.”

The Pavel Haas Quartet have a busy season ahead. Their concert in August at the Schubertiade festival in Austria was followed by appearances in Zurich, Edinburgh and Zeist, the Netherlands. During the autumn, they will be giving performances at the Janáček Brno festival and at such renowned venues as the Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari, the Bozar in Brussels, the Prinzregententheater in Munich, the Assembly Rooms in Bath and Wigmore Hall in London. In December, Veronika Jarůšková, Peter Jarůšek and the Israeli pianist Boris Giltburg, their long-time friend and colleague, will begin recording for Supraphon the complete Antonín Dvořák piano trios. In January and February, the ensemble will continue to tour Europe, and in March they will again visit the USA.

The Pavel Haas Quartet is made up of Veronika Jarůšková (violin), Marek Zwiebel (violin), Karel Untermüller (viola) and Peter Jarůšek (cello).