One of the world's most watched young ensembles, the Esme Quartet at less than a decade old is celebrated for what the Suddeutsche Zeitung calls "depth and maturity." Winners of the Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition, the Esme is acclaimed for its spellbinding dynamics, stylistically assured interpretations and precision ensemble playing.
Praised for their warm sound and powerful stage presence, the Esme Quartet was formed in 2016 at the Hochschule fur Musik in Cologne, Germany, by four musicians who had been friends since their youth. They shared common interests and passions in music, the arts, and life. The Esme Quartet brings together four brilliant and distinct musical personalities to form a cohesive, close-knit group that is passionately dedicated to the string quartet repertoire.
The Quartet is based in Germany and has rapidly gained a worldwide reputation as a chamber ensemble of exceptional artistry and achievement. In the spring of 2018, the quartet won the first prize as well as sweeping four special prizes at the prestigious Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition in London, and in the same year, it became HSBC Laureate of the Academie du Festival d'Aix. This recognition followed prizes at the Trondheim International Chamber Music Competition and the 55th Possehl Musikpreis Lubeck. In October 2020, the quartet was awarded the first Hans-Gal Prize by the Academy of Sciences and Literature Mainz and Villa Musica.
The Quartet takes its name "Esme" from the old French word for "beloved."
Program:
MOZART: String Quartet in D Major, K. 575
LIGETI: String Quartet No. 1
SCHUBERT: String Quartet in G Major, D. 887
$70/60/50.