Biography
The Arditti Quartet originated in 1974 when violinist Irvine Arditti formed the ensemble during his student years at London's Royal Academy of Music. It has since become one of the most prominent chamber groups worldwide specializing in contemporary repertoire. The ensemble has prompted the composition of hundreds of new pieces and has consistently emphasized direct collaboration with the creators whose works it commissions. Composers who have contributed scores to the group encompass Harrison Birtwistle, John Cage, Elliott Carter, Brian Ferneyhough, Sofia Gubaidulina, Mauricio Kagel, György Ligeti, Conlon Nancarrow, Wolfgang Rihm, Karlheinz Stockhausen, and Iannis Xenakis. Beyond these commissions, the quartet has also presented and documented the principal string-quartet literature of the twentieth century.
Violinist Irvine Arditti first sought out similarly inclined musicians to explore new music. Cellist Rohan de Saram became the other foundational member when he joined in 1979, remaining until 2005; Lucas Fels assumed the cello position in 2006. Graeme Jennings served as second violinist from 1994 until 2005, after which Ashot Sarkissjan took over. Violist Dov Scheindlin entered in 1997 and was succeeded by Ralf Ehlers in 2002.
Once established during the 1980s, the quartet received invitations to contemporary-music festivals across the globe. In 1982 its members joined the faculty of the Darmstadt Summer Course for New Music, returning for every session through 1996. Master classes, workshops, touring, and recording continue to form the core of the ensemble's schedule.
Although the Arditti Quartet has sustained an intensive career spanning more than four decades, its members have each maintained independent musical pursuits. Irvine Arditti and Rohan de Saram in particular have received numerous solo works from composers associated with the group. These close ties have generated an array of additional chamber configurations. Carter and Xenakis, for instance, composed piano quintets, while Ferneyhough's Fourth String Quartet incorporates a soprano part. Electronics appear in works by Roger Reynolds and Gérard Pape. Through its sustained commitment to music of the present, the quartet has secured a central place in contemporary chamber-music life.
By 2019 the ensemble had issued more than 200 CDs. Its principal recorded collections appear on the Auvidis Montaigne label, which accounts for over forty discs. These releases feature key historical pieces by composers of the Second Viennese School—Schoenberg, Berg, and Webern—along with comprehensive editions devoted to Carter, Pascal Dusapin, Ferneyhough, Toshio Hosokawa, Kagel, and Xenakis, as well as anthologies surveying repertory from Germany, Italy, Scandinavia, and the United States. In 2019 the quartet released Jeu de tarot: Music by David Felder on the Coviello Classics label.
The Arditti Quartet has played a major role in restoring the string quartet's prominence for new listeners and performers. It received the 1999 Ernst von Siemens Music Prize for lifetime achievement, among Europe's highest honors. Additional distinctions include the Deutsche Schallplatten Preis and three Gramophone awards.
Violinist Irvine Arditti first sought out similarly inclined musicians to explore new music. Cellist Rohan de Saram became the other foundational member when he joined in 1979, remaining until 2005; Lucas Fels assumed the cello position in 2006. Graeme Jennings served as second violinist from 1994 until 2005, after which Ashot Sarkissjan took over. Violist Dov Scheindlin entered in 1997 and was succeeded by Ralf Ehlers in 2002.
Once established during the 1980s, the quartet received invitations to contemporary-music festivals across the globe. In 1982 its members joined the faculty of the Darmstadt Summer Course for New Music, returning for every session through 1996. Master classes, workshops, touring, and recording continue to form the core of the ensemble's schedule.
Although the Arditti Quartet has sustained an intensive career spanning more than four decades, its members have each maintained independent musical pursuits. Irvine Arditti and Rohan de Saram in particular have received numerous solo works from composers associated with the group. These close ties have generated an array of additional chamber configurations. Carter and Xenakis, for instance, composed piano quintets, while Ferneyhough's Fourth String Quartet incorporates a soprano part. Electronics appear in works by Roger Reynolds and Gérard Pape. Through its sustained commitment to music of the present, the quartet has secured a central place in contemporary chamber-music life.
By 2019 the ensemble had issued more than 200 CDs. Its principal recorded collections appear on the Auvidis Montaigne label, which accounts for over forty discs. These releases feature key historical pieces by composers of the Second Viennese School—Schoenberg, Berg, and Webern—along with comprehensive editions devoted to Carter, Pascal Dusapin, Ferneyhough, Toshio Hosokawa, Kagel, and Xenakis, as well as anthologies surveying repertory from Germany, Italy, Scandinavia, and the United States. In 2019 the quartet released Jeu de tarot: Music by David Felder on the Coviello Classics label.
The Arditti Quartet has played a major role in restoring the string quartet's prominence for new listeners and performers. It received the 1999 Ernst von Siemens Music Prize for lifetime achievement, among Europe's highest honors. Additional distinctions include the Deutsche Schallplatten Preis and three Gramophone awards.
Albums
