Biography
The Barcelona-based saxophone quartet Kebyart has enlarged the available literature for the format by securing new commissions, preparing arrangements, and exploring an inventive overall stance. Founded in 2014 in Spain’s second city, the ensemble has kept an unchanged roster of soprano saxophonist Pere Méndez, alto saxophonist Victor Serra, tenor saxophonist Robert Seara, and baritone saxophonist Daniel Miguel. Its name adapts that of the Balinese gamelan Gong Kebyar; the term “kebyar” denotes a sudden flare-up or burst, capturing both the sharp contrasts the players favor and the immediate cohesion they achieve together.
From the outset the four musicians received guidance from distinguished chamber artists that included members of the Cuarteto Casals and the Cuarteto Quiroga, violinist Rainer Schmidt of the Hagen Quartett, and the late violist Hatto Beyerle, among others. They chose a creative and open-minded path through the repertory, presenting original works, committing themselves to newly composed pieces, and generating their own transcriptions drawn from many stylistic sources. Kebyart is featured on the 2022 album Dreamlover: Music for Saxophone by Albena Petrovic.
Wider European attention followed their selection as ECHO Rising Stars for the 2021-2022 season, which produced engagements at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, and the Vienna Musikverein. The group has collected several major chamber-music prizes, among them first place at the International Franz Cibulka Competition in Austria and the Orpheus Swiss Chamber Music Competition. Collaborations have involved pianist Dénes Várjon, countertenor Xavier Sabata, and composer Albert Guinovart, with whom Kebyart has appeared in live performance.
Signed to the Linn label, the quartet issued Lectures différentes in 2022, a program containing music by Stravinsky, Haydn, Peter Eötvös, Joan Pérez-Villegas, and Leonard Cohen. Kebyart followed with the 2023 release Traum der Jugend.
From the outset the four musicians received guidance from distinguished chamber artists that included members of the Cuarteto Casals and the Cuarteto Quiroga, violinist Rainer Schmidt of the Hagen Quartett, and the late violist Hatto Beyerle, among others. They chose a creative and open-minded path through the repertory, presenting original works, committing themselves to newly composed pieces, and generating their own transcriptions drawn from many stylistic sources. Kebyart is featured on the 2022 album Dreamlover: Music for Saxophone by Albena Petrovic.
Wider European attention followed their selection as ECHO Rising Stars for the 2021-2022 season, which produced engagements at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, and the Vienna Musikverein. The group has collected several major chamber-music prizes, among them first place at the International Franz Cibulka Competition in Austria and the Orpheus Swiss Chamber Music Competition. Collaborations have involved pianist Dénes Várjon, countertenor Xavier Sabata, and composer Albert Guinovart, with whom Kebyart has appeared in live performance.
Signed to the Linn label, the quartet issued Lectures différentes in 2022, a program containing music by Stravinsky, Haydn, Peter Eötvös, Joan Pérez-Villegas, and Leonard Cohen. Kebyart followed with the 2023 release Traum der Jugend.
Albums
