The Martinu Quartet was founded in 1976 at the Prague Conservatory under the guidance of Viktor Moucka of the legendary Vlach Quartet and also worked at the Academy of Fine Arts under the direction of Anton!n Kohout from the original Smetana Quartet; in its formative years the Quartet participated in masterclasses with the Juilliard, Guarneri, Amadeus and Alban Berg Quartets. In 1985 the Czech ensemble took its name from the prolific early 20th-century composer Bohuslav Martinu, whose complete string quartets the Martinu have recently recorded for Naxos.
After winning numerous prizes at major international competitions including Portsmouth, ARD Radio in Munich, Evian, and the Prague Spring, the Martinu Quartet was invited to perform throughout Europe and at such international showcases as the Orlando, Bath, Kuhmo, and Frankfurt festivals, and at the Paris International Forum "Proquartet."
The Quartet has toured Spain, Holland, Switzerland, Japan, and Sweden, and appeared in Cuba and in the U.S., first in 1993 in Spillville, Iowa at special invitation to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the composition of Dvorak's "New World" Symphony there.
Recording regularly for Czech Radio and TV, as well as for Austria's ORF, Germany's ARD and Radio France, the Martinu Quartet's discography on LP and CD includes in addition to the above-mentioned Martinu, a variety of works by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Smetana, Dvorak, Debussy, Ravel, Respighi, and Honegger, and, of the Czech masters, Myslivecek, Richter, Ryba, Kramar, Vranicky, Ullmann -- and most recently, the complete quartets of Vitezslav Novak for Naxos.
"Flashes of brilliance and high-spirited exuberance, without sacrificing the richness of sound worthy of the best Czech quartets of recent decades." Diapason, Paris
"The Martinu Quartet mastered the work of its namesake composer, together with marvelous intonation and all the finesse required. Beethoven's Op. 18/6 showcased the Scherzo's spirit and the melancholy of the finale's introduction, with rare moments of expression throughout the work. Dvorak's "American" quartet. revealed a lavish celebration of invention, vitality, and fascination with homesick melody; a marvelous end to a concert full of Czech colors and flowers set in a gold frame." Classical Music
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