We recently returned from a very enjoyable European tour with concerts in Berlin, London, Norwich, Oxford, Bath, Wimbledon and Cambridge. Fiona Maddocks, reviewing the Bath Mozartfest, wrote: ‘On Monday, the Takács Quartet, now happily settled with their new second violinist Harumi Rhodes, combined Mozart with Brahms and Shostakovich.’ In Shostakovich's fourth Quartet 'the Takács brilliantly presented the harmonic arguments as if working through the full spectrum of monochrome in sound, dusky to luminous, black to white.' In the Sunday Times Paul Driver wrote about our Wigmore Hall performances: ‘This was the second of two programmes, epitomizing the repertory at its most intense and idiomatic. Their insights into Bartók’s Quartet no. 1 confirmed it as a towering masterpiece, not merely the first of a series. And Haydn’s D major quartet, Op 20, No. 4, in their hands was an experience of human thought at its absolutely most supple.’
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In May the quartet’s European tour included a sextet program at the Wigmore (see our Reviews section for reviews of this and our recent Edinburgh festival concerts) and a concert in Vienna at the Brahms-Saal, Musikverein. We have had a busy and fulfilling summer performing in the USA and Europe, including concerts at the Minnesota Beethoven Festival, Ravinia, Edinburgh, the Snape Proms, Rheingau, Menton and La Chaise-Dieu. For Hyperion the quartet recorded Ernö Dohnányi’s two piano quintets with Marc-André Hamelin and his second string quartet. The disc will be released in 2019. As members of the faculty the quartet played concerts and taught an intensive string quartet seminar at the Music Academy of the West.
Today we’re recognizing the extraordinary quartet career of our friend and colleague Károly Schranz, who after 43 years as founding second violinist of the Takács Quartet, will retire on April 30th. At the same time we’re very happy to announce the appointment of Harumi Rhodes as our new second violinist. She will join us for the second half of our concerts in Boulder on April 29/30th.
Edward Dusinberre is the winner of the Royal Philharmonic Society Music Award for Creative Communication, 'for a compelling and imaginative vehicle which furthered the understanding of classical music in any medium (written or spoken word, video, audio, digital, online) made publicly available in the UK for the first time during 2016'. The award is in recognition of his recent book Beethoven for a Later Age: The Journey of a String Quartet.
The annual RPS Music Awards, presented in association with BBC Radio 3, are the highest recognition for live classical music in the UK. Awards, in thirteen categories, are decided by independent panels consisting of some of the music industry's most distinguished practitioners. The awards honor musicians, composers, writers, broadcasters and inspirational arts organizations. This year's RPS Music Awards celebrate outstanding achievement in 2016.
We are excited to announce the re-release of our 2002-2004 Beethoven recordings for Decca, now available in one box set of 7 cds, Blu-Ray and a DVD featuring additional live performances of Schubert and Haydn.
http://www.deccaclassics.com/gb/cat/4831317
During the current 2016-2017 Season, the Takács Quartet performs complete, six-concert Beethoven cycles at London's Wigmore Hall, at Princeton University, the University of Michigan and the University of California, Berkeley.
The Takács Quartet's first violinist, Edward Dusinberre, has written a book, "Beethoven for a Later Age - the Journey of a String Quartet". It was published in 2016 by Faber in the U.K. and by the University of Chicago Press in the U.S. to strong reviews.
Edward Dusinberre introduces Beethoven for a Later Age from George Miller on Vimeo.
The Takács Quartet, nominated for a Grammy for their 2015 recording of the Shostakovich Piano Quintet with Marc-Andre Hamelin, and the Shostakovich String Quartet No. 2 on the Hyperion label, performed at the 58th Annual Grammy Show.
The Takács toured with pianist Garrick Ohlsson in April, 2016, performing the Elgar Piano Quintet, including a concert at Carnegie Hall. In December of 2017, they tour again with Mr. Ohlsson, performing the Brahms Piano Quintet.
The Takács Quartet and Meryl Streep performed Philip Roth's "Everyman" program at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto in October, 2016. They performed this program with Miss Streep last season at Princeton, and in 2007, performed it with the late Philip Seymour Hoffman at Carnegie Hall.
John Gilhooly, Director of Wigmore Hall, awarded the Takács String Quartet with the Wigmore Hall Medal on Saturday 10 May, 2014. The Medal, inaugurated in 2007, recognises major international artists and significant figures in the classical music world who have a strong association with the Hall.
In May, 2012, Gramophone Magazine announced that the Takács Quartet was the only string quartet to be inducted into its first Hall of Fame, along with such legendary artists as Jascha Heifetz, Leonard Bernstein and Dame Janet Baker.
John Gilhooly, Director of Wigmore Hall, announced that from the 2012-13 season, the Takács Quartet will be Associate Artists at the Hall.
The Takács Quartet has been awarded the Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary. The award, made by Hungarian President Lászl Slyom, was announced by H.E. Gyorgy Szapáry, Ambassador of the Republic of Hungary to the United States on March 15, Hungary's national holiday.
The Takács Quartet received the Royal Philharmonic Society Award in the Chamber Music & Song Category for their performances of Beethoven's complete string quartets in the United Kingdom during 2010.
Read the complete article ›
The members of the quartet are honored to have received the University of Colorado’s 2010 Faculty Excellence Awards for Excellence in Research, Scholarly and Creative Work.
During 2016-17 the Takács Quartet performs Beethoven cycles at important venues in the US and at London’s Wigmore Hall. For details see the links below:
Princeton University Concerts ›
In May 2016, Hyperion released the Takács Quartet’s CD of Franck’s Piano Quintet with pianist Marc-Andre Hamelin, and Debussy’s String Quartet in G minor. The recording was immediately acclained byGramophone Magazine as “Editor’s Choice”.
Click here for BBC Music Magazine review (July 2016) ›
Click here for The Strad review (June 2016) ›
Click here for SF Gate/San Francisco Chronicle review (June 2016) ›
Click here for complete Gramophone review (May 2016) ›
Click here for complete recording information on Hyperion ›