Nevsky String Quartet (Quinten Quartet, until 1998) is a string quartet based in St. Petersburg, Russia. They are noted for their award-winning performances of Russian music and their performances of contemporary music.
History and Repertoire
The Quartet, originally named the Quinten-Quartet, was founded in 1995 by students of St. Petersburg Conservatory with intensive assistance of Gleb Nikitin (dean of Orchestral Department). The idea of creation belonged to Vladimir Bistritsky (viola player). Other members of Quartet became 3-year students: Tatiana Razoumova (1st violin) and Dmitry Khrytchev (cello). Last member became 2nd violinist Dmitry Korjavko, 1st-year student.
In addition to their schooling in Russia, they also studied in London, in Germany, and with members of the Prague String Quartet, the Alban Berg Quartet, and the Amadeus Quartet in Austria.[1]
The membership of the quartet has changed slightly since the Quartet's founding in 1995. The members are:
Period
1st violin
2nd violin
Viola
Violoncello
1995–1997
Tatiana Razoumova
Dmitry Korjavko
Vladimir Bistritsky
Dmitry Khrytchev
1997
Vladislav Pessin & Svetlana Greenfeld
1997–2001
Anna Tchijik
2002–2007
Svetlana Greenfeld
2007
Alexei Maslov
2007–
Svetlana Greenfeld
2012–
Anna Tchijik
2012–2013
Victor Kustov
2013–2016
Vsevolod Dolganov
2016-
Natalia Andreeva
Svetlana Greenfeld
Vladimir Bistritsky
Ruslan Nabiyev
Svetlana Greenfeld performed on the Northern Flowers label recording,[2] and Alexei Maslov performed on one of the Capstone recordings.[3]
The Quartet’s repertoire includes an emphasis on the music of Haydn (their original name—Quinten-Quartet—refers to one of Haydn’s works, the Opus 76, No 2 Quartet in d minor), Russian composers, particularly Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich, as well as music of contemporary composers, such as Rodney Waschka II, whose quartets they have premiered and recorded on Capstone Records.[4]
Awards
In 1996, at the IV International Shostakovich String Quartets Competition, the Quartet received the Third Prize and the Special Prize for the best performance of Russian music (the Second Quartet by Prokofiev). In 1997, at the III International Competition "Franz Schubert and Music of XX Century", the Quartet won the Second Prize and the Special Prize for the best performance of composition by Franz Schubert (String Quartet "Death and the Maiden"). At the 6th Karl-Klingler String Quartet Competition in Berlin (Germany), they won the Barenreiter-Prize for the best interpretation of string quartet compositions of Mozart and Beethoven in accordance with historical performance practice. Also in 1998, the Quartet won First Prize in the Swedish International String Quartet Competition.[5]
Partial discography
"Spirit Of Romance". Reading, MA: MMC Records (?), 2007.[6]
String Quartet by Gary R. Featherston
String Serenade by Gary R. Featherston.
"Music for Strings". Brooklyn, NY: Capstone Records, CPS-8781, 2007.[7]
String Quartet: Laredo by Rodney Waschka II
Ravel Remembers Fascism by Rodney Waschka II
Six Folksongs from an Imaginary Country by Rodney Waschka II