Belcea Quartet
Founded at the Royal College of Music in London in 1994, the Belcea Quartet is based in the UK. Two of its founding members, Romanian violinist Corina Belcea and Polish viola player Krzysztof Chorzelski, nonetheless bring a very different artistic provenance to the ensemble, while drawing on the best traditions of string quartet playing received from the Quartet’s mentors: the members of the Alban Berg and Amadeus Quartets. This spectrum is extended by French musicians Axel Schacher (violin) and Antoine Lederlin (cello). The Belcea Quartet blends its diverse influences in a common musical language.
The Belcea Quartet’s diversity is reflected in its repertory. Regular world premieres, including of works by Mark-Anthony Turnage, Thomas Larcher, Krzysztof Penderecki and Joseph Phibbs, sit alongside a profound connection to the great works of the Classical and Romantic periods.
From 2017 to 2020 the Belcea Quartet was quartet in residence at the Pierre Boulez Saal in Berlin, to which venue it regularly returns. It also shared a residence at the Konzerthaus in Vienna with the Artemis Quartet from 2010 to 2021. From the 2022/23 season the Quatuor Ébène is its partner ensemble.
The musicians have also created their very own Belcea Quartet Trust, which supports and inspires young string quartets through intensive coaching sessions and which also supports the commissioning of new works from today’s leading composers. Most recently, Guillaume Connesson dedicated his new string quartet to the Belcea Quartet. The Quartet gave its world premiere in Vevey, going on to perform it in Cologne, Vienna, London, Helsinki and Helsingborg.
The Belcea Quartet has amassed an impressive discography. During its long-term association with EMI Classics, the Quartet recorded the complete Britten and Bartók quartets, as well as works by Mozart, Schubert, Brahms, Debussy, Ravel and Dutilleux. In 2012 and 2013 the Quartet recorded the complete Beethoven quartets, a recording which was then released by Zig-Zag Territoires. For this and previous releases, the Quartet has won awards including the ECHO Klassik and the Gramophone Award. In 2015 the Quartet released its highly acclaimed recording of works by Webern, Berg and Schoenberg, marking the ensemble’s 20th anniversary. September 2016 saw the release of the Quartet’s recording of the complete Brahms string quartets and the Piano Quintet, which won the Diapason d’Or de l’Année 2016. Recent releases include a Shostakovich album with pianist Piotr Anderszewski and quartets by Janáček and Ligeti. Early in 2022 the Quartet released a disc of both the Brahms string sextets with Tabea Zimmermann and Jean-Guihen Queyras.
The Belcea Quartet’s performances of the complete Beethoven string quartets at the Vienna Konzerthaus in 2012 were broadcast by Mezzo TV and released on DVD and Blu-ray by EuroArts in 2014, accompanied by Jean-Claude Mocik’s documentary Looking for Beethoven.
In the 2022/23 season the ensemble appeared at the string quartet biennale L’Auditori de Barcelona, and gave concerts at venues including the Wigmore Hall in London, Flagey in Brussels, the Tonhalle in Zurich and the Konserthuset in Stockholm.