The Rosamonde Quartet is a French

string quartet The term string quartet refers 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 Violin, violini ...

ensemble established in 1981. It takes its name from ''

Rosamunde ''Rosamunde, Fürstin von Zypern'' (''Rosamunde, Princess of Cyprus'') is a play by Helmina von Chézy, which is primarily remembered for the incidental music which Franz Schubert composed for it. Music and play premiered in Vienna's Theater a ...

'', a 1823 composition of

incidental music Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, or some other presentation form that is not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as th ...

by Franz Schubert, from which he reused a theme in his 13th quartet, nicknamed ''Rosamunde Quartet''.

History and musical activity

The Rosamonde Quartet was founded in 1981 by four students of Jacques Parrenin and

Roland Pidoux Roland Pidoux (born 29 October 1946, in Paris) is a French contemporary cellist and conductor. Biography Roland Pidoux studied at the Conservatoire de Paris until 1966. His masters were André Navarra, Jean Hubeau and Joseph Calvet. He enter ...

. at the

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), or the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (; CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue Jean Ja ...

: Agnès Sulem-Bialobroda (

first violin The concertmaster (from the German ''Konzertmeister''), first chair (U.S.) or leader (UK) is the principal first violin player in an orchestra (clarinet or oboe in a concert band). After the conductor, the concertmaster is the most significant ...

), Thomas Tercieux ( second violin), Jean Sulem (

viola The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...

) and Xavier Gagnepain (

cello The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...

). Then the musicians perfected their skills at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

. Raphaël Hillyer (1914-2010), violist of the

Juilliard String Quartet The Juilliard String Quartet (JSQ) is a classical music string quartet founded in 1946 at the Juilliard School in New York by William Schuman and Robert Mann. Since its inception, it has been the quartet-in-residence at the Juilliard School. ...

from 1946 to 1969, stimulated them in this project from the beginning. They have also been taught by Eugene Lehner, violist of the

Kolisch Quartet The Kolisch Quartet was a string quartet musical ensemble founded in Vienna, originally (early 1920s) as the New Vienna String Quartet for the performance of Arnold Schoenberg, Schoenberg's works, and (by 1927) settling to the form in which it was l ...

, a friend of

Schoenberg Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg (13 September 187413 July 1951) was an Austrian and American composer, music theorist, teacher and writer. He was among the first modernists who transformed the practice of harmony in 20th-century classical music, ...

and Bartok, who passed on to them the heritage of the Viennese great masters of the early 20th century and the cellist Aldo Parisot as well as the members of the Tokyo Quartet. First winners of the Menuhin Foundation (1982), the Rosamonde Quartet won the "Concours International d'Évian" in 1983, with the "Prix d'interprétation de compositeurs modernes" (Prize for the Performance of Modern Composers) and the "Prix spécial du Jury international des critiques" (Special Prize of the International Critics' Jury") unanimously, and in 1986 won the First Prize of the International Quartet Competition of the European Broadcasting Union in

Salzburg Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...

. It has been leading an international career playing an eclectic repertoire which includes

contemporary music Contemporary music is whatever music is produced at the current time. Specifically, it could refer to: Genres or audiences * Adult contemporary music * British contemporary R&B * Christian adult contemporary * Christian contemporary hit radio * Con ...

. It received the Grand Prix du disque de l'Académie Charles Cros in 2005 for its recording devoted to Jacques Lenot's

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of Musical instrument, instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a Great chamber, palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music ...

. It has premiered works by several composers: ''Quatuor Bobok'' by François Sarhan in 2002 ''Quatuor à cordes n°3'' by Renaud Gagneux in 1991, ''Quatuor l'intranquillité'' by

Michèle Reverdy Michèle Reverdy (born 12 December 1943) is a French composer. Life and career Michèle Reverdy was born in Alexandria (Egypt). She studied at the Conservatoire de Paris especially with Claude Ballif for music analysis and Olivier Messiaen for ...

in 1992 at the

Opéra Bastille The Opéra Bastille (, "Bastille Opera House") is a modern opera house in the 12th arrondissement of Paris, France. Inaugurated in 1989 as part of President François Mitterrand's '' Grands Travaux'', it became the main facility of the Paris N ...

of Paris, ''Mémoire de la rivière'' (first part of ''La Danse du Temps)'' by

Tôn-Thất Tiết Tôn-Thất Tiết (born 1933 in Huê) is a Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 millio ...

in 1999. It has also worked with several composers and recorded their works:

Pascal Dusapin Pascal Georges Dusapin (born 29 May 1955) is a French composer. His music is marked by its microtonality, tension, and energy. A pupil of Iannis Xenakis and Franco Donatoni and an admirer of Varèse, Dusapin studied at the University of Pari ...

, Philippe Fénelon,

Philippe Hersant Philippe Hersant (born 21 June 1948 in Rome) is a French composer. He studied at the Conservatoire de Paris. Selected works :: Hersant's works are largely published by Éditions Durand. ;Stage * ''Le Château des Carpathes (opera), Le Châtea ...

György Kurtág György Kurtág (; born 19 February 1926) is a Hungarian composer of contemporary classical music and pianist. According to ''Grove Music Online'', with a style that draws on " Bartók, Webern and, to a lesser extent, Stravinsky, his work is c ...

, , and especially with

Henri Dutilleux Henri Paul Julien Dutilleux (; 22 January 1916 – 22 May 2013) was a French composer of late 20th-century classical music. Among the leading French composers of his time, his work was rooted in the Impressionistic style of Debussy and R ...

in whose presence they recorded his ''

Ainsi la nuit ''Ainsi la nuit'' (''Thus the Night'') is a string quartet The term string quartet refers 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. Th ...

'' quartet and who greatly appreciated their interpretation. The Rosamonde Quartet is regularly invited to play and give master classes in France and abroad. It regularly performs at the in

Luberon The Luberon ( or ; Provençal dialect, Provençal: ''Leberon'' or ''Leberoun'' ) is a massif in central Provence in Southern France, part of the French Prealps. It has a maximum elevation of and an area of about . It is composed of three mounta ...

. Director Vincent Bataillon made three films with the Rosamonde Quartet in 2010–2011: *''Notes for a Quartet'' focuses on the development of the interpretation around the 4th movement of Beethoven's Quartet No. 14. *''At the heart of the quartet of our time'' devoted to three works: Debussy's string quartet, ''Ainsi la nuit'' by Dutilleux, Ravel's string quartet. * ''Henri Dutilleux: Ainsi la nuit'', a film that testifies to the collaboration between the composer and the quartet.

Discography

Many recordings of the Rosamonde Quartet have received awards from music magazines. Among these many records (all listed on their official website specified below), are: * ''Nuits'': ''

Verklärte Nacht ''Verklärte Nacht'' (''Transfigured Night''), Op. 4, is a string sextet in one movement composed by Arnold Schoenberg in 1899. Composed in just three weeks, it is considered his earliest important work. It was inspired by Richard Dehmel's p ...

'' by Arnold Schoenberg with Antoine Tamestit, second alto and Jérôme Pernoo, second cello, one quartet by Ligeti, ''Ainsi la nuit'' by Dutilleux, label Pierre Verany PV 706021 * Ravel/ Fauré: string quartets, label Pierre Verany PV 799052, 1999, ƒƒƒƒ by ''

Télérama ''Télérama'' is a weekly French language, French cultural and television magazine published in Paris, France. The name is a contraction of its earlier title: ''Télévision-Radio-Cinéma''. Fabienne Pascaud is currently managing editor. Ludovic ...

'' * Debussy/ Roussel: string quartets, label Pierre Verany PV 700029, 2001 * Fauré: quintets with

Emmanuel Strosser Emmanuel Strosser (born 4 May 1965 in Strasbourg), the son of theatre director Pierre Strosser, is a French classical pianist. Biography Strosser first studied with Hélène Boschi then at the Conservatoire de Paris with Jean-Claude Pennetier ...

pianist, label Pierre Verany PV 703011, 2003 * ''Liens'', chamber music by Jacques Lenot, Grand prix du disque académie Charles Cros *

Messiaen Olivier Eugène Prosper Charles Messiaen (, ; ; 10 December 1908 – 27 April 1992) was a French composer, organist, and ornithology, ornithologist. One of the major composers of the 20th-century classical music, 20th century, he was also an ou ...

: Unpublished, Editions Jade 74 321 67 411-2, 1999, ƒƒƒƒ by ''Télérama'' * Kurtag: Tribute to Mihaly Andras, ''12 Microludes'' for string quartets, Musique française d'aujourd'hui, Radio France, MFA 216030 HMCD73 * Dutilleux (''Ainsi la nuit''), Hersant (quartet No 2), Fénelon (''Onze inventions''): MFA 581280 AD 184, 1991, ƒƒƒƒ by ''Télérama''

References

Sources *

External links

* {{Authority control, state=collapsed French string quartets Musical groups established in 1981