Hyperion Records

Nominated for the prestigious Royal Philharmonic Society Chamber Music Award, the Royal String Quartet is one of the most dynamic string quartets in the world today. Its repertoire combines outstanding musical works of the past with contemporary music, bravely pushing the boundaries of musical genres. The Royal String Quartet receives enthusiastic reviews for its interpretations of Beethoven, Szymanowski, Shostakovich and Górecki, and also plays an important part in promoting lesser-known Polish music, including the works of Zarebski, Rózycki and Bacewicz. The Royal String Quartet collaborates with exceptional artists—including Angela Hewitt, Sir Thomas Allen, Mark Padmore, Urszula Kryger, Stephen Kovacevich, Martin Fröst, Lukasz Kuropaczewski, Wojciech Switala, and the Škampa, Camerata and Slaski String Quartets—and is not afraid to cross into the realm of pop culture.

The Royal String Quartet was established at The Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw in 1998 and initially worked under the supervision of Professor Ryszard Duz from the Wilanów String Quartet. The group’s artistic identity was shaped by post-graduate masterclasses with the Alban Berg Quartet in Cologne (2001–2004). Crucial artistic guidance was also provided by members of the Camerata, Amadeus and Chilingirian Quartets.

The critical breakthrough in the Royal String Quartet’s career came with the invitation to join BBC Radio 3’s prestigious New Generation Artists scheme. This involved performing in festivals, recordings and radio broadcasts, and collaborating with other participants of the scheme. The Quartet also received a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award, given to outstanding musicians to help them develop their international careers.

The Quartet has performed at Wigmore Hall and Cadogan Hall in London, the Concertgebouw in Amster-dam, Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, The National Gallery of Art in Washington, the Grand Théâtre in Bordeaux, Martinu Hall in Prague, the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, Konzerthaus in Vienna and Berlin, Sejong Center in Seoul, Beijing Concert Hall, Konserthus in Stockholm, and also at The Witold Lutoslawski Concert Studio of Polish Radio and the Warsaw Philharmonic Hall.

The Royal String Quartet has featured in prestigious festivals including the BBC Proms, City of London Festival, Aldeburgh Festival, West Cork Chamber Music Festival in Ireland, Schleswig Holstein and Rheingau Festivals in Germany, Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival in Warsaw, Sacrum Profanum in Cracow (Poland), Wratislavia Cantas in Wroclaw (Poland) and The Perth International Arts Festival in Australia. Since 2004 they have run their own chamber music festival in Warsaw, Kwartesencja, where the string quartet medium is presented in multiple forms, and contemporary music plays a significant role. Since 2012 the Royal String Quartet has been Quartet in Residence at Queen’s University Belfast. Their concerts have been broadcast on Polish Radio 2, BBC Radio 3 and many other European radio stations, as well as on French TV Mezzo.