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The Pražák Quartet, one of the most eminent modern quartets and a major heir to the Czech tradition, is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2022!
On this occasion, Praga Digitals is presenting a limited edition anniversary box set of 50 CDs featuring all the recordings made between 1992 and 2018 under the guidance of the late Pierre Émile Barbier, founder of the label.
This exceptional box set traces the ensemble's journey in its "historic" formation, comprising Václav Remeš (followed by Pavel Hůla from 2010 onwards) on first violin, Vlastimil Holek on second, Josef Klusoň on viola, and Michal Kaňka on cello - prior to its near-complete re-configuration in 2020.
At the heart of the programme are the complete quartets of Beethoven and the very first complete recording of the works of the Second Viennese School (Schoenberg, Berg, Webern), Czech repertoire (Dvořák, Smetana, Janáček, Martinů) and Viennese Classicism (Haydn, Mozart), as well as German Romanticism (Schubert, Brahms, Schumann, Mendelssohn), the Russians (Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, Shostakovich), but also Mahler, Zemlinsky, Schulhoff...
Their partners include Vanda Tabery and Christine Whittlesey (soprano), Pascal Moraguès (clarinet), Jan Talich and Hatto Beyerle (viola), Marc Coppey (cello), Ivan Klánský & Evgeni Koroliov (piano)...
The collaboration between the Pražák Quartet and Praga Digitals marks one of the most important epic ventures of modern recording, reminiscent of the golden age of the Amadeus, Juilliard or Alban Berg Quartets - a priceless legacy as much in terms of its scope as its artistry and sound quality, as well as its multiple awards: Diapason d'or, "Choc" (Classica), "10" (Répertoire), the Grand Prix of the Académie Charles Cros, Gramophone, The Strad...
50 CDs for 50 years : Happy birthday and long live the Pražáks!
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PRD 250 425
credits
released November 25, 2022
CD1-8 BEETHOVEN
THE COMPLETE STRING QUARTETS
CD9 BERG · WEBERN
BERG : STRING QUARTET · LYRIC SUITE
WEBERN : STRING QUARTET
CD10 BORODIN
STRING QUARTET NO. 2 · PIANO QUINTET · STRING SEXTET · SERENATA ALLA SPAGNOLA
CD11-14 BRAHMS
STRING QUARTETS · CLARINET QUINTET · STRING QUINTET NO. 2 · PIANO QUINTET · STRING SEXTETS
CD15-18 DVOŘÁK
STRING QUARTETS NO. 10-13 · CYPRESSES QUARTET · TERZETTO · BAGATELLES · PIANO QUINTETS
CD19 FELD
STRING QUARTETS NOS. 5 & 6 · CLARINET QUINTET
CD20 HAYDN · DVOŘÁK
HAYDN : STRING QUARTETS OP. 20/6 ‘SUN’ & OP.64/5 ‘THE LARK’
DVOŘÁK : STRING QUARTET NO. 14
CD21-25 HAYDN
‘PRUSSIAN QUARTETS’ OP. 50 NOS. 3, 5 & 6 · THE SEVEN LAST WORDS OF OUR SAVIOUR ON THE CROSS OP.51B · ‘APPONYI QUARTETS’ OP. 71 NOS. 1, 2 & 3 · ‘ERDÖDY QUARTETS’ OP. 76
CD26 JANÁČEK
STRING QUARTETS NO. 1 ‘KREUTZER SONATA’ & NO. 2 ‘INTIMATE LETTERS’ · SONATA FOR VIOLIN AND PIANO
CD27 JANÁČEK · PROKOFIEV
JANÁČEK : STRING QUARTETS NO. 1 ‘KREUTZER SONATA’ & NO. 2 ‘INTIMATE LETTERS’
PROKOFIEV : STRING QUARTET NO. 2
CD28 MARTINŮ
STRING QUARTETS NOS. 3, 6 & 7 ‘CONCERTO DA CAMERA’
CD29 MENDELSSOHN
STRING QUARTET NO. 1 · OCTET FOR STRINGS
CD30-32 MOZART
STRING QUARTETS NO. 15 K. 421, NO. 17 K. 458 ‘THE HUNT’ & NO. 19 K. 465 ‘DISSONANCE’ · ‘PRUSSIAN QUARTETS’ NO. 21 K. 575, NO. 22 K. 589 & NO. 23 K. 590 · STRING QUINTETS NO. 4 K. 516 & NO. 5 K. 593
CD33 MOZART · BRUCKNER
MOZART : STRING QUINTET NO. 4 K. 516
BRUCKNER : STRING QUINTET
CD34 MOZART · WEBER
MOZART : CLARINET QUINTET · QUINTET FOR FRENCH HORN & STRINGS
WEBER : CLARINET QUINTET
CD35 MOZART
CHAMBER PIANO CONCERTOS
CD36 MAHLER · SCHÖNBERG
MAHLER : PIANO QUARTET
SCHÖNBERG : STRING QUARTET IN D MAJOR · STRING TRIO · PHANTASY FOR VIOLIN & PIANO
CD37-39 SCHÖNBERG
STRING QUARTETS NOS. 1-4 · SCHERZO & PRESTO FOR STRING QUARTET · CHAMBER SYMPHONY · VERKLÄRTE NACHT
CD40-41 SHOSTAKOVICH
STRING QUARTETS NOS. 7-8 & 14-15 · PIANO QUINTET · TWO PIECES FOR STRING QUARTET
CD42-44 SCHUBERT
STRING QUINTET · STRING QUARTETS NO. 7, NO. 13 ‘ROSAMUNDE’, NO. 14 ‘DER TOD UND DAS MÄDCHEN’ & NO. 15
CD45 SCHUMANN
STRING QUARTET NO. 1 · PIANO QUINTET
CD46 SMETANA · SCHULHOFF
SMETANA : STRING QUARTETS NO. 1 ‘FROM MY LIFE’ & NO. 2
SCHULHOFF : FIVE PIECES FOR STRING QUARTET
CD47 SMETANA
STRING QUARTETS NO. 1 ‘FROM MY LIFE’ & NO. 2
CD48 TCHAIKOVSKY · GLINKA
GLINKA : GRAND SEXTET · DIVERTIMENTO BRILLANTE
TCHAIKOVSKY : STRING QUARTET NO. 1
CD49 ZEMLINSKY
STRING QUARTETS NOS. 1 & 4 TWO MOVEMENTS FOR STRING QUARTET
CD50 CONCERT 2008
HAYDN : STRING QUARTET OP. 50/6 ‘THE FROG’
MARTINŮ : STRING QUARTET NO. 3 H. 268
FELD : SAXOPHONE QUINTET
BEETHOVEN : STRING QUARTET NO. 16
Pražák Quartet
Vanda Tabery (CD9), Christine Whittlesey (CD37) (soprano)
Pascal Moraguès (CD11, CD34), Jan Mach (CD19) (clarinet)
Vladimíra Klánská (CD34) (horn)
Raaf Hekkema (CD50) (saxophone)
Milos Cerny (CD29) (violin)
Jan Talich (CD33), Jan Peruska (CD10), Vladimír Bukač (CD12, CD39), Petr Holman (CD14), Zbynek Padourek (CD29), Hatto Beyerle (CD32) (viola)
Marc Coppey (CD42), Václav Bernásek (CD29), Vladimír Fortin (CD14), Petr Prause (CD39), Martin Sedlák (CD10) (cello)
Pavel Nejtek (CD35, CD48) (double bass)
Jaroslav Tůma (CD17) (harmonium)
Jaromir Klepáč (CD10, CD38), Ivan Klánský (CD13, CD18), Lukáš Klánský (CD48), Sachiko Kayahara (CD26, CD36), Evgeni Koroliov (CD40, CD45), Slávka Pěchočová-Vernerová (CD35) (piano)
