Smycov kvartety – Janek – CD

The young Pavel Haas Quartet, named after the important 20th-century Czech composer Pavel Haas, quickly rose among the leading string quartets. Formed by Veronika Jarkov on first violin, Kateina Gemrotov on second violin, Pavel Nikl on viola and Peter Jarek on cello, the quartet won the Prague Spring International Competition in May 2005 and a month later received first prize at the world-renowned Premio Paolo Borciani competition in Reggio Emilia, Italy. The prize included a tour of more than forty concerts across Europe, the United States and Japan. For their CD debut, the quartet chose Leo Janeks major work Intimate Letters and Pavel Haass String Quartet No. 2, subtitled From the Monkey Mountains. This recording presents Haass work in a version with percussion, created with the quartet by the internationally acclaimed percussionist Colin Currie from Edinburgh. The programme brings together music by Leo Janek and Pavel Haas, with Colin Currie on percussion and the Pavel Haas Quartet as the performing ensemble.