Takács Quartet

The Takács Quartet is a string quartet, originally founded in Hungary, and now based in Boulder, Colorado, United States.

History

In 1975, four students at the Music Academy in Budapest, Gabor Takács-Nagy (first violin), Károly Schranz (second violin), Gabor Ormai (viola), and András Fejér (cello) formed The Takács Quartet. According to their own story, Takács-Nagy, Ormai and Fejér had been playing trios together for several months when they met Schranz during a pickup soccer game after classes. With the immediate addition of Károly to their group the trio became a quartet.

They first received international attention in 1977, winning the First Prize and the Critics' Prize at the International String Quartet Competition in Evian, France. After that the quartet won the Gold Medal at the 1979 Portsmouth and Bordeaux Competitions and First Prizes at the Budapest International String Quartet Competition in 1978 and the Bratislava Competition in 1981. The quartet made its first North American tour in 1982.

In 1983, the group decided it would be best for them and their families if they moved to the United States. A colleague offered them a position as quartet-in-residence at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and they accepted the job.

In 1993, Takács-Nagy left the group, and the British violinist Edward Dusinberre replaced him. [http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2006/nov/03/classicalmusicandopera1] In 1994, Ormai learned that he had incurable cancer, and was replaced by another British musician, violist Roger Tapping. [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_/ai_n13996911] Following these changes, the quartet embarked on a successful series of recordings: a cycle of all six Bartok quartets (dedicated to the memory of Ormai, who died in 1995) and a critically-acclaimed complete Beethoven quartet cycle, as well as quartets by Smetana and Borodin.

In 2005, following the completion of the Beethoven cycle, Tapping retired from the group to spend more time with his family. He currently teaches chamber music at New England Conservatory. His replacement was Geraldine Walther, an American violist who had up until then been the principal violist of the San Francisco Symphony. The members of the quartet as well as the critics have remarked on how quickly she fit into the ensemble. [ [http://arts.guardian.co.uk/features/story/0,,1937667,00.html Erica Jeal, "String theory". "The Guardian", 3 November 2006.] ]

Also in 2005, the quartet became associate artists at the South Bank Centre. [ [http://music.guardian.co.uk/live/story/0,,1945167,00.html Andrew Clements, review from Queen Elizabeth Hall. "The Guardian", 11 November 2006.] ] In 2006, they released their first recording with Walther, Schubert's "Rosamunde" and "Death and the Maiden" quartets to critical acclaim. [ [http://arts.guardian.co.uk/critic/review/0,,1883166,00.html Andrew Clements, "Schubert: String Quartets in D Minor & A minor, Takacs Quartet". "The Guardian", 29 September 2006.] ] This was also their first recording with Hyperion Records, after switching from the Decca label.

Current members

*Edward Dusinberre, first violin
*Károly Schranz, second violin
*Geraldine Walther, viola
*András Fejér, cello

Past members

*Gabor Takács-Nagy, first violin
*Gabor Ormai, viola
*Roger Tapping, viola

Awards and recognition

Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance: Andrew Keener (producer), Simon Dominic Eadon (engineer) & the Takács Quartet for "Beethoven: String Quartets ("Razumovsky" Op. 59, 1-3; "Harp" Op. 74)" (2003)

The Takács Quartet "has been recording the complete Beethoven quartets, and their survey, now complete, stands as the most richly expressive modern account of this titanic cycle." (Alex Ross, writing in The New Yorker, February 6, 2006).

The Takács Quartet's interpretation of Bartók's six string quartets has been met with praise.

elected discography

* Bartók: The Six String Quartets (Decca 289 455 297-2) (1998). Gramophone Award Winner, Best Chamber Music Recording
* Beethoven: The Early Quartets: Op. 18, Nos. 1-6 (Decca 000186402) (2004) [ [http://arts.guardian.co.uk/critic/review/0,,1156806,00.html Andrew Clements, "Beethoven: String Quartets Op 18, Takacs Quartet". "The Guardian", 27 February 2004.] ]
* Beethoven: The Late Quartets: Op. 95; Op. 127; Op. 130; Op. 131; Op. 132; Op. 133; Op.135 (Decca 000387502) (2005)
* Beethoven: The three "Rasumovsky" Quartets, Op.59; the "Harp" Quartet, Op.74 (Decca 470 847-2 3 DH2) (2002). Grammy Award Winner, Best Chamber Music Recording & Gramophone Award Winner, Best Chamber Music Recording
* Borodin: String Quartet No. 2 in D Major (Decca 452 239-2)
* Brahms: String Quartets Op. 51, Nos. 1 and 2 (Decca 425 526-2) (2003)
* Brahms: String Quartet, Op. 67; Piano Quintet Op. 34 with Andras Schiff (Decca 430 529-2)
* Chausson: Concert for piano, violin and string quartet in D major, Op. 21 with Joshua Bell and Jean-Yves Thibaudet (Decca 000444702) (2005)
* Dvořák: String Quartet Op. 96 "American"; String Quartet, Op. 105; Five Bagatelles (Decca 47430 077-2)
* Dvořák: String Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 51; Piano Quintet in A Major, Op. 81 with Andreas Haefliger (Decca 289 66197-2) (1999)
* Haydn: String Quartets Op. 76, Nos. 1-3 (Decca 421 360-2)
* Haydn: String Quartets Op. 76, Nos. 4-6 (Decca 425 467-2)
* Haydn: String Quartets Op. 77, Nos. 1 and 2; String Quartet, Op. 103 (Decca 430 199-2)
* Mozart: String Quintet in C Major, K. 515; String Quintet in g minor, K. 516; Adagio and Fugue in c minor, K. 546 with Gyorgy Pauk (Decca 430 772-2) (1993)
* Schubert: String Quartet in a minor, D. 804 "Rosamunde"; String Quartet in d minor D. 810 "Death and the Maiden" (Decca 436 843-2) (1993)
* Schubert: String Quartet in a minor, D. 804 "Rosamunde"; String Quartet in d minor D. 810 "Death and the Maiden" (Hyperion CDA67585) (2006)
* Schubert: String Quintet in C Major, D. 956 (with Miklos Perenyi); Quartettsatz in c minor, D. 703 (Decca 436 324-2)
* Schubert: String Quartet in G Major D. 887 Notturno with Andreas Haefliger (Decca 452 854-2) (2003)
* Smetana: String Quartet No. 1 in e minor "From My Life" (Decca 452 239-2) (2003)

References

elected concert reviews

* [http://arts.guardian.co.uk/reviews/story/0,,700691,00.html Tom Service, review from Wigmore Hall. "The Guardian", 30 November 1999.]
* [http://arts.guardian.co.uk/reviews/story/0,,703658,00.html Tom Service, review from Wigmore Hall, London, July 2001. "The Guardian", 6 July 2001.]
* [http://arts.guardian.co.uk/reviews/story/0,,838705,00.html Rian Evans, review from Assembly Rooms, Bath. "The Guardian", 13 November 2002.]
* [http://arts.guardian.co.uk/reviews/story/0,,1219963,00.html Rian Evans, review from St George's, Bristol. "The Guardian", 19 May 2004.]
* [http://arts.guardian.co.uk/reviews/story/0,,1480384,00.html Tom Service, review from Wigmore Hall. "The Guardian", 10 May 2005.]
* [http://arts.guardian.co.uk/reviews/story/0,,1643176,00.html George Hall, review from Queen Elizabeth Hall. "The Guardian", 15 November 2005.]
* [http://music.guardian.co.uk/classical/livereviews/story/0,,2021557,00.html Martin Kettle, review from Queen Elizabeth Hall. "The Guardian", 26 February 2007.]

External links

* [http://www.takacsquartet.com/ Takács Quartet official website]
* [http://www.colorado.edu/music/faculty/takacs.html Faculty biography at University of Colorado]
* [http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/artist_page.asp?name=takacs Artist page at Hyperion Records]
* [http://www.deccaclassics.com/artists/takacs_quartet/index.html Artist page at Decca Music Group]
* [http://www.npr.org/programs/pt/4a/takacs.html NPR: Performance Today -- Live in Studio 4A]