»The Notos Quartet is esteemed as one of the preeminent chamber music ensembles of our time.« (FONO FORUM)
Audiences and critics alike have lauded the Notos Quartet for its virtuosic brilliance and technical perfection,« as well as its »sense of balance and interplay, which make every detail of the composition audible«.
Since its inception in 2007, the four musicians have garnered many prizes at international competitions, establishing themselves on a global stage. The quartet performs in renowned concert halls and major festivals throughout the world.
In addition to interpreting the well-known masterpieces, the quartet regularly commissions and premieres new piano quartets. Beat Furrer, Bernhard Gander, Garth Knox and Bryce Dessner dedicated new composition to them. The musicians are also keen to uncover lost and forgotten works of the piano quartet genre. This is reflected in their CD recordings. Their debut CD »Hungarian Treasures« (2017) includes the world premiere recording of Béla Bartók’s piano quartet and was met with worldwide praise. In their latest album »Paris Bar« (2022), the Notos Quartet unveils yet another world premiere recording: the piano quartet by Hungarian composer László Lajtha.
The great interest in the Notos Quartet and its extraordinary programming is documented by numerous concert recordings, interviews and portraits on radio and television in Germany and abroad.
The quartet firmly believes in taking a stand on the social issues of our time. The four musicians were the first artists to return the prestigious German Music Award ECHO Klassik. Their decision stemmed from the controversy surrounding the ECHO Pop Awards in April 2018, where an album promoting anti-Semitic and inhumane ideas was honoured. This sparked a widespread protest movement, with prominent artists like Igor Levit, Daniel Barenboim, and Marius Müller-Westernhagen joining in. Ultimately, the ECHO brand was abolished in response to the outcry.
The artists’ social commitment is also reflected in their promotion of young musicians – another important aspect of the quartet’s work. The ensemble has held teaching engagements at several music colleges. In autumn 2015, they initiated the Notos Chamber Music Academy.
Besides Günter Pichler, the first violinist of the legendary Alban Berg Quartet, with whom the quartet studied at the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía in Madrid until 2017, the quartet’s mentors, teachers, and supporters include, the Mandelring Quartet, Menahem Pressler, András Schiff, and Clemens Hagen.
