Apollon Musagete Quartet
© Frank Höhler
About
- Paweł Zalejski, violin
- Bartosz Zachłod, violin
- Piotr Szumieł, viola
- Piotr Skweres, cello
During the four years since the quartet's inception, Apollon Musagète has not only garnered praise from the critics, but convinced the jury of their worth at a number of renowned competitions. After winning international chamber music competitions in Vienna and Florence, and having been awarded various other prizes, the ensemble has now risen to prominence withing the European musical world. The final confirmation of this was the First Prize, and almost all the special prizes, at the 57th International Music Competition of the ARD.
The Apollon Musagète Quartet has appeared at festivals such as the Leipzig Bach Fest, Schleswig Holstein Music Festival, Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and at Munich's Herkulessaal, Chamber Music of the Nations cucle, Vienna Musikverein, Vienna Konzerthaus, the Wigmore Hall in London as well as Munich's Gasteig.
The Ensemble founded its own Apollon Musagète Festival in Goslar, presenting concerts with such renowned musicians as members of the former Alban Berg Quartet. Highlights of the current season are appearances in many important European concert venues as part of Rising Stars cycle, for which the ensemble was nominated by Vienna Konzerthaus and Musikverein; venues include Athens Meagran, Kölner Philharmonie, Cité de la musique in Paris, Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, Stockholm Konserthuset, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Luxembourg, Vienna and Barcelona.
Chamber music partners include musicians such as Angelika Kirchschlager and Martin Fröst. As well as recitals in renowned chamber music cycles such as « Les Grands Interprètes » in Geneva, the Beethoven cycle at Berlin Philharmonie, the Esterhazy String Quartet Festival, La Folle Journée de Nantes and at Frankfurt's Alte Oper, the Apollon Musagète Quartet will also take part in cycles of symphonic music and perform works for string quartet and orchestra, including the Heidelberg Philharmonic and the Dohnanyi Budafok Orchestra in Budapest.
The quartet values greatly the chance to work with contemporary composer and frequently performs not only the standard string quartet repertoire, but also new works, often dedicated to the ensemble and, on many an occasion, with references to the subject of Apollo himself, chief amongst the muses. The quartet's own composition, Multitude, for string Quartet, was recorded by Deutschlandradio Kultur in Berlin and produced for television by the ORF in Vienna.
In 2010 the Quartet's debut CD recording was released, on OehmsClassics, presenting works by Haydn, Brahms, Szymanowski as well as Rodion Shchedrin's Lyrische Szenen. It received the CD of the month award by Radio Stephansdom Wien and the ORF Pasticcio Prize.