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Moscow String Quartet
Eugenia Alikhanova,
1st violin; Galina Kokhanovskaia,
2nd violin; Tatiana Kokhanovskaia, viola; Olga Ogranovitch, cello
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"...wide dynamic
contrasts, masterly articulation, ...." The
Philadelphia Enquirer
"Such tone, such
phrasing, all played with the highest virtuosity and reverence to the
music!" Sofia Gubaidulina
"Superb! " Ottawa Sun
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 Described by
Alfred Schnittke as "an
extraordinary ensemble that distinguishes itself with refined musical style,
an unusually beautiful sound and palette of colors, and a tremendous artistic
temperament", the members of the Moscow String Quartet (from
the beginning an all-women ensemble and the only quartet that was given this
name) have
earned a place among the most distinguished artists of our times. All
graduates of the Moscow Conservatory and Gnessin
Musical Institute (Moscow), they were students of eminent
professors, including Yuri Yankelevich, Genrihk Talalian
of the Komitas String Quartet, and Valentin Berlinsky of the
Borodin Quartet (with whom the quartet continued to study after graduation.
The Moscow String Quartet
gained international acclaim after winning the 1978 Leo Weiner International
Quartet Competition in Budapest. The next year, the quartet
triumphed at the International Quartet competition in
Evian, France.
Since then, the Moscow
String Quartet has played to consistent critical acclaim in the major concert
halls in Europe, including regular performances
at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Salle Gaveau
in Paris, Wigmore Hall in
London, repeated appearances at the Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussels, the Gewandhaus
in Leipzig, and the Academy of Arts in Berlin. In addition, the quartet has
appeared in many prestigious festivals, including the Paris and City of London Festivals, Berliner Festwochen,
Stratford-upon-Avon and Cheltenham Festivals, Casals Festivals in Prades and San
Juan, Puerto Rico, the
Catalonia Festival in Spain, and the Newport Festival. In North America, the Moscow String Quartet has
performed in New York City (Avery Fisher Hall, Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, Frick Collection),
Philadelphia, Washington, DC, Detroit, Chicago, Dallas, Salt Lake City, San Diego, Seattle, Vancouver, Montreal and Ottawa. In 1996, the
ensemble was invited by Madeleine Albright to perform at a White House
Christmas Concert. From 1991-96, the quartet was in residence at the Lamont
School of Music in
Denver, and in 1997 at the
University of Colorado in Denver. Upcoming engagements include
performances at Lincoln Center, the Freer Collection of the Smithsonian and at the Concertgebouw..
The Moscow String Quartet
has recorded for MCA, Fine Arts Records, Russian Disk, Channel Classics and Melodiya, including works by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven,
Tchaikovsky, Schnittke, Denisov,
and Glinka.
"The Moscow String Quartet, performing strong and with total conviction, had
reached at least another planet by the time it got to the melody in harmonics
at the close, having come from an earthbound unison" (a Gubaidulina
celebration) The NY Times
"... a technical ease that seemed to allow an almost spiritual
insight... truly a memorable performance! Yorkshire Post, England
"...conquerors of
a repertoire from Haydn to Schnittke...Life gushes
forth pure and tremulous, filled with lyrical breath... messengers of poetry
and transparency." Revue Belgique, Belgium
"... balanced musicianship, homogeneity of sound, and a rich
palette of tonal colors. Aachener Volkszeitung, Germany
"Once
again: virtuosity and poetic qualities as well as a specific musicality
tinged with a hint of profound nostalgia." Le Monde, France
"It
was a concert performance that had it all -- superb playing, a brilliant
program and a real sense of physical drama.... Superb! " Ottawa Sun
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