Piatti Quartet (replacing the previously advertised Navarra Quartet)

Smetana

Quartet No.1 ‘From My Life’ [1876]

Deirdre Gribbin

‘Somewhere I have never travelled’ [2015]

Dvořák

String Quartet in G major Op.106 [1895]

The acclaimed Piatti Quartet is riding high at the moment with accolades for recent recordings and a new appointment as resident quartet at London’s prestigious King’s Place. They return to Ireland with Dvořák’s magnificent G major string quartet, paired with Smetana’s autobiographical quartet ‘From My Life. Dvořák himself performed as violist in the 1878 premiere of this extraordinary quartet which through its four movements truly conveys a sense of the span of a lifetime. Deirdre Gribbin’s ‘Somewhere I have never travelled’ is one of her loveliest creations, full of magical, ethereal textures and it completes a terrific programme.

BIOGRAPHY

The distinguished Piatti Quartet will become Resident Quartet at London’s King’s Place from the start of the 2023/24 season. Renowned for their ‘profound music making’ (The Strad) and ‘lyrical warmth’ (BBC Music Magazine), the quartet is known for its diverse programming, passionate interpretations and deep creative relationships with contemporary composers, including Mark-Anthony Turnage, Emily Howard, Joseph Phibbs, Anna Meredith, Charlotte Harding and Gavin Higgins.

Laureates of the 2015 Wigmore Hall International Quartet Competition, the quartet has produced a string of critically-acclaimed recordings and collaborated with many of the most recognizable names in classical music such as Nicky Spence, Julius Drake, Michael Collins, Barry Douglas, Janina Fialkowska, Melvyn Tan, Ian Bostridge and the Belcea Quartet.

Accolades in 2023 include Gramophone’s ‘Editor’s Choice for the Month’ with NMC, a five star review from BBC Music Magazine with Delphian and in 2022 they were nominated for ‘Recording of the Year’ with both Limelight and Gramophone for their collaborative disc on the Hyperion label.

Research into lesser known quartet music has led to the premiere recording of Ina Boyle’s string quartet, and performances of lesser known quartet gems by Ralph Vaughan Williams, E.J. Moeran, Rachmaninov, Ireland, Haas, Ulmann, and Durosoir.

The quartet’s name is dedicated to Alfredo Piatti, a 19th Century virtuoso cellist who was a professor at the Royal Academy of Music (the alma mater of the founders of the quartet) and also a major exponent of chamber music and contemporary music of his time.