Pavel Haas Quartet

The Pavel Haas Quartet has been called “the world’s most exciting string quartet” (Gramophone) and is revered across the globe for its richness of timbre, infectious passion and intuitive rapport. Performing at the world’s most prestigious concert halls and having won five Gramophone and numerous other awards for their recordings, the Quartet is firmly established as one of the world’s foremost chamber ensembles.

In the 2018/19 season the Quartet will perform three concerts at the Rudolfinum Hall in Prague as artist-in-residence of the Czech Philharmonic Chamber Music Society. They will return to the Edinburgh International, Schubertiade and East Neuk Festivals as well as to the Wigmore Hall, Paris Théâtre de la Ville, Bozar, Munich Herkulessal, De Doelen, Florence’s Teatro della Pergola, Philharmonie Essen, the Oslo Quartet Series and will go on tour in the US and Canada.

Palmares Pavel Haas Quartet

2018/2017: Fifth Gramophone for Dvořák‘s Piano Quintet No. 2 and String Quintet No. 3 with pianist Boris Giltburg and former member Pavel Nikl in 2017. Album of the Month from Diapason d‘Or.
2015/2014: BBC Music Magazine Award and Gramophone Chamber Music Award for the recording of Smetana‘s String Quartets Nos 1 & 2 and the same price in 2014 for the recording of Schubert‘s String Quartet “Der Tod und das Mädchen” and for the String Quintet with cellist Danjulo Ishizaka.
2011: Gramophone Chamber Music Award and the most coveted price Recording of the Year 2011 for the recording of Dvořák‘s String Quartet No. 12 and for his American String Quartet No. 13
2010: Diapason d‘Or de L'Année for their recording of Prokofievs String Quartets Nos 1 & 2.
2007: Gramophone Chamber Music Award for their CD with Janáček‘s Quartet No. 2 “Intimate Letters” and Haas‘ Quartet No. 2 “From the Monkey Mountains”.

In spring 2005, the Quartet won the Paolo Borciani competition in Italy and in 2007 the Cologne Philharmonie nominated them as ECHO Rising Stars, resulting in a tour to major concert halls worldwide. The Quartet took part in the BBC New Generation Artists scheme between 2007-2009, and has been awarded in 2010 with the Special Ensemble Scholarship of the Borletti-Buitoni Trust.

The Quartet is based in Prague and studied with the late Milan Skampa, the legendary violist of the Smetana Quartet. They have taken their name from the Czech composer Pavel Haas (1899-1944) who was imprisoned at Theresienstadt in 1941 and tragically died at Auschwitz three years later. His legacy includes three wonderful string quartets.