Biography
JAKUB FISER | Violin
STEPAN JEZEK | Violin
JIRI PINKAS | Viola
STEPAN DOLEZAL | Cello
The Bennewitz Quartet is well established as a leading international string quartet of the younger generation, with performances throughout the world in distinguished venues such as Wigmore Hall, London, the Frick Museum, New York, the Musikverein, Vienna, the Theatre du Champs-Elysees, Paris, the hall of the Conservatoire, Brussels, the Rudolfinum, Prague, and the Seoul Arts Centre. Festivals in which they have appeared include Salzburg, Lucerne, Lockenhaus and Prague Spring.
Founded in 1998 at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague and named after the renowned Czech violinist Antonin Bennewitz (1833-1926), the Bennewitz Quartet won numerous prizes, including the Czech Chamber Music Society Award and first prize at the Osaka and the Borciani competitions. As well as studying in Prague, the quartet worked with Rainer Schmidt (Hagen Quartet) and Walter Levin (La Salle Quartet).
The Bennewitz Quartet is particularly known for its warmth, for the maturity and understanding it brings to all its repertoire and for exceptionally fine playing. They enjoy opportunities to contribute to the wide variety of musical life in the Czech Republic, with programmes including unusual Czech repertoire such as Ullmann, Haas, Schulhoff and Krasa. In addition to giving chamber music performances, the quartet has played with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and Jiri Belohlavek in Martinu’s Concerto for String Quartet and Orchestra and gave the Czech premiere of John Adam’s Absolute Jest, together with the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra.
Solo artists with whom the quartet has collaborated include Alexander Melnikov, Vadim Gluzman, Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Isabelle Charisius.
Their recordings have received high praise, in particular for their “astonishingly mature and confidently balanced ensemble culture”. The quartet’s second CD of both string quartets of Smetana was called “simply phenomenal” by Klassic.com. A year later Supraphon released “Clarinet Quintets” with Ludmila Peterková and in 2012 a CD of Dvorak’s Cypresses, both the original songs and the string quartet arrangements, was released on Hänssler Classics. Their recording success continues with a CD of Dvorak’s 10th and 13th string quartets on the SWR Music label and a recording of works by Ullmann, Haas, Schulhoff and Krasa.
The Bennewitz Quartett is supported by the Viennese string-manufacturer Thomastik-Infeld.
Representation: UK
Contact: Aminah Domloge