Alexander von Zemlinsky: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 3 Zemlinsky Quartet

• Alexander von Zemlinsky (1871 - 1942): String Quartet No. 1 in A Major, Op. 4:
• 1 Zemlinsky: String Quartet No. 1 in A Major, Op. 4: I. Allegro con fuoco 10:26
• 2 Zemlinsky: String Quartet No. 1 in A Major, Op. 4: II. Allegretto 04:13
• 3 Zemlinsky: String Quartet No. 1 in A Major, Op. 4: III. Breit und kräftig 06:42
• 4 Zemlinsky: String Quartet No. 1 in A Major, Op. 4: IV. Vivace con fuoco 07:24
• String Quartet No. 3, Op. 19:
• 5 Zemlinsky: String Quartet No. 3, Op. 19: I. Allegretto 07:27
• 6 Zemlinsky: String Quartet No. 3, Op. 19: II. Thema mit Variationen 05:26
• 7 Zemlinsky: String Quartet No. 3, Op. 19: III. Romanza 04:27
• 8 Zemlinsky: String Quartet No. 3, Op. 19: IV. Burleske 05:07
• Total Runtime 51:12

Info for Alexander von Zemlinsky: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 3

Begun on 9 July 1896, the Quartet Op. 4 of Zemlinsky was first performed on 2 December in Vienna. With a traditional four-movement layout, it illustrates the rigour with which the author approached the problems of form while allowing the influence of Wagner through the harmonic treatment of the sweeping opening Allegro, also recalling the conviviality and despair of late Schubert. ¬The Allegretto, similar to the fantasizing of a Hugo Wolf, makes use of imaginary German songs, while the third movement, ‘Breit und kräftig’, attempts broad eminently Brahmsian respiration and intense by a neo-Beethoven impetuousness. ¬This Quartet No. 1 concludes with a Vivace con fuoco, close to a moto perpetuo, which once again pays tribute to Schubert and Bruckner. The Quartet No. 3 Op. 19, premiered on 26 October 1924, achevied one of Zemlinsky objectives: rigorous respect of form, invention combining nervous writing sustained by contrapuntal work of rare density. Expressionistic message conveyed with an economy that is fully Webernian in terms of richness of colour and polyphonic treatment; de facto a postlude to the musical and spiritual exoticism of the Lyric Symphony Op. 18.

Zemlinsky Quartet

Zemlinsky Quartet
Founded in 1994 while the members were still students, the ZEMLINSKY QUARTET has become a much lauded example of the Czech string quartet tradition. The Zemlinsky Quartet won the First Grand Prize at the Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition in 2010. They have also been awarded top prizes at the Banff International String Quartet Competition (2007), Prague Spring International Music Competition (2005) and London International String Quartet Competition (2006), where they also received the Audience Prize. The Quartet was recipient of the Alexander Zemlinsky Advancement Award in 2008. Other notable prizes include Beethoven International Competition (1999), New Talent Bratislava (2003), Martinů Foundation String Quartet Competition (2004), and the Prize of Czech Chamber Music Society (2005). In the season 2016/17, Zemlinsky Quartet was appointed as the residential ensemble of the Czech Chamber Music Society.

While students at the Prague Conservatory and the Academy of Performing Arts Prague, the ensemble was coached by members of renowned Czech string quartets including the Talich, Prague, Kocian and Pražák Quartets. The ensemble also took part in several master classes including ProQuartet, in France and Sommerakademie in Reichenau, Austria where they were awarded First Prize for the best interpretation of a work by Janáček. From 2005 to 2008, the quartet studied with Walter Levin, the first violinist of LaSalle Quartet. Their recent mentor has been Josef Klusoň, the violist of the Pražák Quartet.

Zemlinsky Quartet is named after the Austrian composer, conductor and teacher Alexander Zemlinsky (1871-1942), whose enormous contribution to Czech, German and Jewish culture during his 16-year residence in Prague had been underrated until recently. His four string quartets (the second one being dedicated to his student and brother-in-law Arnold Schönberg) belong to the basic repertoire of the ensemble. Since 2005, the quartet has maintained a special relationship with the Alexander Zemlinsky Foundation in Vienna.

The Zemlinsky Quartet performs regularly in the Czech Republic and abroad (Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Monaco, Luxembourg, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Great Britain, Ireland, Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Canada, USA, Brazil, Japan, South Korea). Recent major appearances of the Zemlinsky Quartet include London’s Wigmore Hall, Cité de la Musique in Paris, Library of Congress, Place des Arts in Montreal, Prague Spring Festival, and their New York debut on Schneider/New School Concerts Series. Their vast repertoire contains more than 200 works ranging from Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, and Dvorak to works by contemporary composers. The members of the ensemble also perform as soloists and are individual prize-winners of several competitions (Concertino Praga, Spohr International Competition Weimar, Tribune of Young Artists UNESCO, Rotary Music Competition Nürnberg, Beethoven International Competition, Kocian International Competition).

Between 2006-2011, the Zemlinsky Quartet were Assistant Quartet-in-Residence at Musikakademie Basel in Switzerland. Music education is an important part of their professional life and during their tours, the quartet is often invited to give master classes to students of any age. They also perform educational concerts for students. Recently, František Souček and Petr Holman have been appointed Professors at the Prague Conservatory.

Booklet for Alexander von Zemlinsky: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 3