Nevsky String Quartet (Quinten Quartet, until 1998) is a

string quartet The term string quartet can refer to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two violinist ...

based in

St. Petersburg, Russia Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

. They are noted for their award-winning performances of Russian music and their performances of contemporary music.

History and Repertoire

The Quartet, originally named the Quinten-Quartet, was founded in 1995 by students of St. Petersburg Conservatory with intensive assistance of Gleb Nikitin (dean of Orchestral Department). The idea of creation belonged to Vladimir Bistritsky (viola player). Other members of Quartet became 3-year students: Tatiana Razoumova (1st violin) and Dmitry Khrytchev (cello). Last member became 2nd violinist Dmitry Korjavko, 1st-year student.
In addition to their schooling in Russia, they also studied in London, in Germany, and with members of the

Prague String Quartet Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...

, the

Alban Berg Quartet The Alban Berg Quartett was a string quartet founded in Vienna, Austria in 1970, named after Alban Berg. Members Beginnings The Berg Quartet was founded in 1970 by four young professors of the Vienna Academy of Music, and made its debut in t ...

, and the

Amadeus Quartet The Amadeus Quartet was a string quartet founded in 1947 and disbanded in 1987, having retained its founding members throughout its history. Noted for its smooth, sophisticated style, its seamless ensemble playing, and its sensitive interpretat ...

in Austria. The membership of the quartet has changed slightly since the Quartet's founding in 1995. The members are:
Svetlana Greenfeld performed on the Northern Flowers label recording, and Alexei Maslov performed on one of the Capstone recordings. The Quartet’s repertoire includes an emphasis on the music of

Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions to musical form have le ...

(their original name—Quinten-Quartet—refers to one of Haydn’s works, the Opus 76, No 2 Quartet in d minor), Russian composers, particularly

Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most pop ...

and

Shostakovich Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, , group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his First Symphony in 1926 and was regarded throughout his life as a major compo ...

, as well as music of contemporary composers, such as

Rodney Waschka II Rodney Waschka II is an American composer known for his algorithmic compositions and his theatrical works. Biography Waschka studied at Brooklyn College, at the Institute of Sonology, then newly part of the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, and ...

, whose quartets they have premiered and recorded on

Capstone Records Capstone Records is an American classical music record label focusing particularly on contemporary classical music. It was established by Richard Brooks in 1986 and was based in Brooklyn, New York. The label has hundreds of releases featuring a ...

Awards

In 1996, at the IV International Shostakovich String Quartets Competition, the Quartet received the Third Prize and the Special Prize for the best performance of Russian music (the Second Quartet by

Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''., group=n (27 April .S. 15 April1891 – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, p ...

). In 1997, at the III International Competitio
"Franz Schubert and Music of XX Century"
the Quartet won the Second Prize and the Special Prize for the best performance of composition by Franz

Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wor ...

(String Quartet " Death and the Maiden"). At the 6th Karl-Klingler String Quartet Competition in Berlin (Germany), they won the Barenreiter-Prize for the best interpretation of string quartet compositions of

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...

and

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...

in accordance with historical performance practice. Also in 1998, the Quartet won First Prize in the Swedish International String Quartet Competition.

Partial discography

"Spirit Of Romance". Reading, MA: MMC Records (?), 2007. *''String Quartet'' by Gary R. Featherston *''String Serenade'' by Gary R. Featherston. "Music for Strings". Brooklyn, NY: Capstone Records, CPS-8781, 2007. *''String Quartet: Laredo'' by Rodney Waschka II *''Ravel Remembers Fascism'' by Rodney Waschka II *''Six Folksongs from an Imaginary Country'' by Rodney Waschka II *''Xuan Men'' by Rodney Waschka II *''String Quartet: Ha! Fortune'' by Rodney Waschka II "Beerman Unplugged Almost". Brooklyn, NY: Capstone Records, CPS-8757, 2006. *''Circle Dance'' by Burton Beerman, "Haydn, Prokofiev, Shostakovich". St. Petersburg, Russia: Northern Flowers, 2005.Haydn / Prokofiev / Shostakovich Haydn, Prokofiev, Shostakovich / Nevsky String Quartet CD
/ref> *''Quartet for Strings in G Minor'' Opus 74 Number 3 (The Rider) by F.J. Haydn *''Quartet for Strings Number 1 in B Minor'' by Sergei Prokofiev *''Quartet for Strings Number 8 in C Minor'' by Dmitri Shostakovich

External links

*http://nsquartet.wix.com/nevskystringquartet *https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nevsky-String-Quartet/555315754503076 *https://vk.com/nevskystringquartet

References

{{Authority control Russian string quartets Contemporary classical music ensembles