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The Somerset series with a big agenda |
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Saturday 27 October at 7.30pm Elena Revich violin Programme to be announced The Dominant Quartet ranks as one of the foremost Russian string ensembles, and with good reason: it is the epitome of the world-famous Russian quartet school. Founded close to 15 years ago, the Dominant Quartet was the brainchild of cellist Valentin Berlinsky, a coryphaeus of Russian music, who had been a member of the legendary Borodin Quartet. In 1996, soon after its formation, the Quartet won first prize at the Fourth Shostakovich International String Quartet Competition in St Petersburg. The same year the Quartet members began to serve as resident performing artists at the Moscow State Philharmonic. In 1997 the Dominant Quartet was awarded the prestigious Prokofiev Grant from the Rostropovich Foundation, and in 2001, it was further honoured with a prize at the International String Quartet Competition in Bordeaux, France, as well as an award from the French Ministry of Culture. The ensemble distinguished itself debuting at numerous international festivals, such as Mlada Praga (1997), the Fourth Sakharov International Festival in Nizhniy Novgorod (2000), the 2001 Cork International Chamber Music Festival (Ireland), the 2002 Kuhmo International Chamber Music Festival (Finland). December Nights (Moscow, 2004), and Music at the Castle (Taunton, UK, 2004), and went on to perform at these and many other prestigious festivals held all over the world. The Dominant Quartet has been touring extensively throughout Russia, Spain, Italy, Germany, Sweden, Croatia, Finland, with landmark performances in Paris, Amsterdam (Concertgebouw), Tokyo (Suntory Hall), London (Wigmore Hall), and Washington DC (Library of Congress). The Dominant Quartet has released several unique recordings, including world premieres – Mechislav Weinberg’s Op 9 quartet (OLYMPIA 2001). Tchaikovsky’s Detskiy Albom (Art Classics, 2004), as well as collaborations with remarkable artists – Yuriy Bashmet and Valentin Berlinsky. In addition to these recordings, the Quartet released a disk of Pavel Markelov’s compositions dedicated to the Quartet: Sisyphean Prose, a quintet for string quartet and clarinet, and Parthenon, a chamber symphony for string quartet. To celebrate their 15th anniversary in 2010, the Dominant Quartet performed in a series of concerts in Spain, Great Britain, and Croatia. |
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