Published: 06 October 2011
Category: Artists

The Pavel Haas Quartet have been awarded 'Recording of the Year' at the 2011 Gramophone Awards, following in the footsteps of such artists as Claudio Abbado, Krystian Zimerman, Maxim Vengerov and Sir Simon Rattle. This award is in recognition of their recording of Dvořák’s String Quartets Op.106 and Op.96 ‘American’. Following the recording’s release in 2010 it received unanimous critical acclaim around the world, with The Times commenting that: "Their account of the American Quartet belongs alongside the greatest performances on disc. In this repertoire, they are simply matchless today."

Click here to listen to an excerpt from the recording, the opening of the 'American' Quartet.

The Award marks a remarkable rise to international prominence for the quartet since they first emerged as winners of the 2005 Borciani Competition. They are now established performers in the world’s greatest concert halls, and are consistently praised by audiences and critics for the remarkable excitement and depth of musicality that they bring to a wide range of repertoire. In the season ahead the Pavel Haas Quartet will tour to London’s Wigmore Hall, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Carnegie Hall New York, Vienna Konzerthaus, Munich Herkulessaal, Zurich Tonhalle, Glasgow City Halls (where they are Artists in Residence), Brussels Palais des Beaux Arts, Paris Theatre des Champs-Elysees, Hong Kong Arts Festival and venues across Japan and the USA.

Elsewhere in the awards, Susan Bickley and Iain Paterson were soloists on the 'Choral' Award-winning disc of Elgar's The Kingdom. They sang the roles of Mary Magdalen and St Peter respectively on the Hallé Orchestra’s recording.

The album, recorded live at Bridgewater Hall for the Hallé’s own label, had excellent reviews when released and both singers were praised for their solo performances on the disc:

“Iain Paterson is a commandingly articulate St Peter, the ever-versatile Susan Bickley a shiningly powerful Mary Magdalene” Gramophone.

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