Beethoven - Shostakovich Armida Quartett

• Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827):
• 1 String Quartet No. 7 in F Major, Op. 50, No. 1: I. Allegro 09:40
• 2 String Quartet No. 7 in F Major, Op. 50, No. 1: II. Allegretto vivace e sempre scherzando 08:36
• 3 String Quartet No. 7 in F Major, Op. 50, No. 1: III. Adagio molto e mesto 12:43
• 4 String Quartet No. 7 in F Major, Op. 50, No. 1: IV. Allegro 07:50
• Dmitri Shostakovich (1906 - 1975):
• 5 String Quartet No. 10 in A-Flat Major, Op. 118: I. Andante 04:22
• 6 String Quartet No. 10 in A-Flat Major, Op. 118: II. Allegretto furioso 03:42
• 7 String Quartet No. 10 in A-Flat Major, Op. 118: III. Adagio 04:21
• 8 String Quartet No. 10 in A-Flat Major, Op. 118: IV. Allegretto 09:15
• Total Runtime 01:00:29

Info for Beethoven - Shostakovich

The new album contains Beethoven Op. 59 No 1 and Shostakovich's String Quartet No. 10, two very difficult pieces. Martin Funda, leader of the Arminda Quartet, states, “Opus 59 is extremely challenging. One needs time to grasp these pieces. As performers, we are surprised again and again to note how quickly Beethoven starts leading us into unfamiliar waters. The F Major Quartet is an ‘extrovert’ piece; at the same time; it contains a series of incredibly profound moments and a variety of different moods which we have to learn to interpret.” In comparison, Shostakovich’s Opus 118, also featured on this recording, is surprisingly carefree at first glance. He wrote this work at his retreat center in the Armenian spa town of Dilijan, and the relaxed atmosphere can be heard in the writing. Armida Quartet was founded in Berlin in 2006, and took their name from an opera by Haydn who was the “father of the string quartet.” Since their inception, the group has won numerous awards, most notably First Prize, Audience Prize, and six other awards at the ARD International Competition in 2012.

"Opus 59 is extremely challenging", remarks Martin Funda, the leader of the Armida Quartet. "One needs time to grasp these pieces. As performers, we are surprised again and again to note how quickly Beethoven star ts leading us into unfamiliar waters. The F Major Quartet is an 'extrovert' piece; at the same time, it contains a series of incredibly profound moments and a variety of different moods which we have to learn to interpret."

Armida Quartett

Armida Quartett
Since its spectacular success at the ARD International Competition in 2012, at which the Armida Quartet received first prize, the audience prize and six other special awards, the career of the young Berlin string quartet has developed sensationally. The quartet has been nominated by the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg as one of the Rising Stars of the European Concert Hall Organisation for the 2016/2017 season.

The Armida Quartet has also made its debut at such renowned summer festivals as the Schleswig-Holstein Festival, the Rheingau Music Festival, the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival, the Davos Festival and the Heidelberg Spring Music Festival. In September 2014 the quartet was invited to join the BBC’s distinguished New Generation Artists series, which offers the ensemble the opportunity to appear in various concerts and broadcasts for two years.

Founded in Berlin in 2006, the quartet took its name from an opera by Haydn, the “father of the string quartet”. The ensemble studied with members of the Artemis Quartet, also drawing musical inspiration from Natalia Prischepenko, Alfred Brendel, Tabea Zimmermann, Eberhard Feltz and Walter Levin. The quartet has participated in master classes with the Alban Berg, Guarneri and Arditti Quartets and currently works with Rainer Schmidt (Hagen Quartet) and Reinhard Goebel.

The Armida Quartet won first prize at the Geneva Competition in 2011 and received several scholarships, including those of the Irene Steels-Wilsing Foundation and the Schierse Foundation in Berlin. The young ensemble’s debut CD, featuring works by Béla Bartók, György Ligeti and György Kurtág, was released in 2013 and selected by the German Record Critics’ Award for its critics’ choice list.

During the current season the quartet appears for the first time in Norway, China, Taiwan and Singapore, also presenting concerts in Stuttgart, Munich, Hamburg, Bonn, Antwerp and Geneva.

Frequent collaboration with other artists is a priority for the Armida Quartet – the ensemble has worked with Anna Prohaska, Thomas Hampson, Ewa Kupiec, Max Hornung and Tabea Zimmermann. The four young musicians of the Armida Quartet have taught chamber music at the Berlin University of the Arts since October 2012.

Booklet for Beethoven - Shostakovich