Michelangelo String Quartet
Biography, Audio/Video, Discography, Photos, Concerto repertoire, Programs
www.michelangelostringquartet.com
Biography
Mihaela Martin (violin), Conrad Muck (violin), Blythe Engstroem (viola), Frans Helmerson (violoncello)
The Michelangelo Quartet was formed in 2002 by four musicians distinguished as soloists, chamber musicians and teachers, who share an irresistible desire to play together the greatest repertoire of all.
Since their first concert season, 2003/4, they have toured regularly in Scandinavia, Benelux, the UK, Germany, Italy and Japan, giving concerts in major halls such as the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Carnegie Hall, Suntory Hall, Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Paris, Tonhalle Zürich, and London’s Wigmore Hall.
Festival appearances have included Edinburgh, Sion, Naantali, Hardanger, the Pablo Casals Festival, Prades, and the Delft and New Zealand Chamber Music Festivals.
During the 5 years of its existence, critics have consistently praised the quartet for the collective virtuosity and experience of its members, as well as their musicality and intensity of feeling. They have recently embarked on a project to record all the Beethoven Quartets.The Quartet has performed the complete Beethoven quartets cycle in Scotland in the season 2012/2013 and in Japan 2015.
The Romonian violinist Mihaela Martin has continued, through her teacher Stefan Gheorghiu, a violinistic line including David Oistrakh and George Enesco.
Major prizes in the Tchaikovsky Competition and the First Indianapolis International Violin Competition, ensured her international career.
Zu ihren Kammermusikpartnern zählen Martha Argerich, Yuri Bashmet, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Nobuko Imai und Leon Fleischer & Menahim Pressler. Her chamber music partners have included Martha Argerich, Yuri Bashmet, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Nobuko Imai, Leon Fleischer & Menahem Pressler. She is a professor at the Musikhochschule Cologne, Kronberg Academy and since 2016 at the Barenboim-Said Academy in Berlin.
Conrad Muck has led both the internationally renowned Petersen Quartet and the prestigious Leipzig String Quartet. He is well known as a soloist, chamber musician, teacher and a jury member at several International competitions.
American violist Blythe Teh Engstroem studied violin with Nelli Shkolnikova and viola with Atar Arad at Indiana University Bloomington. She subsequently studied with Andrés Cárdenes in Pittsburgh. A passionate chamber musician, she has collaborated with Menahem Pressler, Yuja Wang, Lisa Batiashvili, Joshua Bell, Renaud Capuçon, Leonidas Kavakos, Pinchas Zukerman, Lawrence Power, Nobuko Imai, Gautier Capuçon and the Quatuor Ébène. She was a member of the Quatuor Terpsycordes (Switzerland). Blythe has performed at numerous festivals in Europe and the Far East and is a regular soloist at the Verbier Festival in Switzerland. She is a founding member of the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra which, under Gábor Takács-Nagy, tours regularly with artists including Martha Argerich, Joshua Bell and Maxim Vengerov. She has been the Chamber Orchestra’s concertmaster and currently leads the viola section. Blythe plays on a beautiful Maggini viola, on generous loan from a private benefactor.
Combining his love of chamber music with a solo career, Swedish cellist/conductor Frans Helmerson has performed with leading conductors and orchestras and at important international festivals. During the 1970’s he was principal ‘cellist of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, where he received important musical influences from Celibidache. William Pleeth and Rostropovich have also been important influences. He holds a professorship at the Musikhochschule in Cologne and since 2016 at the Barenboim-Said Academy in Berlin.
Audio/Video
Discography
Programme
1C (C= Corona, without intermission)
Beethoven
string quartet Op.18 no. 3
Debussy
string quartet
Smetana
From my Life
2C
J. Haydn
J. Haydn
string quartet Op.76.1 G major (tbc)
Schostakowitsch
string quartet no. 2
Tchaikovsky
string quartet no. 2
3C
J. Haydn
J. Haydn
string quartet Op.76 no.1
Ligeti
string quartet no.1
Schubert
„Dead and the Maiden“
1)
Beethoven
String quartet in F major, Op.18/1
Bartok
String quartet no.1 in a minor, Op.7 Sz 40
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Smetana
String quartet no.1 „Z mého zivota / Aus meinem Leben“ T 116
2)
Bartók
String quartet no. 3 Sz 85
Enescu
String quartet no. 2 in G major, Op. 22/2
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Beethoven
String quartet no.1 in E flat major, Op. 127
3)
Beethoven
String quartet, Op.18 Nr.6
Schostakowitsch
String quartet no. 3
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Dvorak
String quartet no.12 in F Major “American”
4)
Schubert
Quartet Movement
Bartok
String quartet no.1
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Tschaikowsky
String quartet, Op 22, no.2
5)
Haydn
String quartet, Op.74 no. 3
Bartok
String quartet no.2
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Brahms
String quartet, Op. 51 no. 2
6)
Cherubini
String quartet no.3
Stravinsky
3 pieces for String quartet
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Stravinsky
Concertino
Beethoven
String quartet, Op.131
7)
Bartok
String quartet no.3 Sz 85
Enescu
String quartet no.3 in G major, Op. 22
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Dvorak
String quartet no.12 in F Major ‚American’