Belcea Quartet

Passion, coupled with precision, unheard-of expressivity and pure emotion characterize the concerts of the Belcea Quartet. With the Romanian violinist Corina Belcea, the Korean-Australian Suyeon Kang on second violin, the Polish violist Krzysztof Chorzelski and the French cellist Antoine Lederlin, four different artistic provenances meet and unite to create unique excellence.

The ensemble’s repertoire spans Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven to Bartók, Janáček to Szymanowski. They also continue to introduce new works by current composers to the audience such as Julian Anderson (2024), Guillaume Connesson (2023), Joseph Phibbs (2018), Krzysztof Penderecki (2016), Thomas Larcher (2015) and Mark-Anthony Turnage (2014 & 2010). These commissioned works are created in association with the Belcea Quarte Trust, the quartet's own foundation, whose aim is to continually broaden the string quartet literature as well as to support young quartets through concentrated joint coaching sessions. In this way they can also pass on to the next generation the experience they gained as students of the Amadeus & Alban Berg Quartet.

In addition to the complete recordings of the String Quartets by Bartók, Beethoven, Brahms (Diapason d'or de l'année 2016) and Britten, the quartet’s wide-ranging discography includes works by Berg, Dutilleux, Mozart, Schoenberg, Schubert, Shostakovich, Janáček & Ligeti (among others). In spring 2022, Alpha Classics released the two String Sextets by Brahms performed with Tabea Zimmermann and Jean-Guihen Queyras.

During its time as the 2017-2020 ensemble in residence of the Pierre Boulez Saal, Berlin, the quartet fostered its artistic relationship with the hall - a connection which, through their regular performances, remains visible until this day. At the Wiener Konzerthaus, the Belcea Quartet has been part of a shared string quartet series since 2010, which they have been organising together with Quatuor Ébène since the 2021/22 season.

In the 26/27 season, the Belcea Quartet will present its complete Beethoven string quartet cycle at major concert halls across Europe, North and South America, and Asia, with performances including Wigmore Hall in London, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Auditorium de Lyon, the Pierre Boulez Saal in Berlin, Toppan Hall in Tokyo, and the Teatro Cultura Artística in São Paulo.

The quartet will also perform Beethoven cycles together with the Quatuor Ébène, appearing atvenues including the Philharmonie de Paris, the Philharmonie Luxembourg, and the Tonhalle Zürich.