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Psophos String Quintet (Paris)
Saturday 14 March 2009
7.30 pm
Linlithgow Academy Theatre
Lisa Schatzmann, violin I
Bleuenn LE MAITRE, violin II
Cécile GRASSI, viola
Eve-Marie CARAVASSILIS, cello
plus extra viola player
Nils Monkmeyer
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Mendelssohn : Capriccio in E minor
Mozart : Quintet in C K515
Brahms : Quintet No 2 in G major Op 111
The PSOPHOS Quartet, whose name is derived from the Greek for «
sonic event », was founded in 1997 at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de
Musique et de Danse de Lyon, with the support of Gilbert Amy. Besides the
numerous musical encounters with the Proquartet association, the quartet has
essentially trained alongside the Ysaye Quartet at the Conservatoire Supérieur
de Paris C.N.R. and with Walter Levine at the Bâle and the Lübeck Academies.
In less than three years the Psophos Quartet received 4th
Prize at the London International Contest, 3rd Prize at the Osaka International
Contest, 2nd prize at the Vittorio Gui de Florence International Contest and the
special Prize from the Mozarteum Academy in Salzburg. The Quartet’s success
continued in 2001 when it won the First Grand Prize at the International
String Quartet Contest in Bordeaux (formerly the Evian Contest) as well as
the International Press Award, the Serge Den Arend Prize for best interpretation
of Mozart, the Maurice Ohana Prize and the Mécénat Musical Société Générale
Prize for their CD.
This success led to invitations from around the world to
perform at the leading festivals and in leading concert halls. In January 2005,
the Psophos quartet was awarded “Meilleur ensemble de l’année” (Best Group of
the Year) in the 2005 “Victoires de la Musique Classique”. Moreover, it has just
been selected by BBC Radio 3 to be the first French quartet to join the 12
international laureates in the prestigious New Generation Artists
Scheme for 2006 and 2007.
The quartet enjoys sharing it’s passion for chamber music with
artists such as Jean-Claude Pennetier, Martin Lovett, Alain Meunier, Raphaël
Oleg, Emmanuelle Bertrand, Renaud et Gautier Capuçon, Franck Braley, le Quatuor
Lindsay, Nicolas Dautricourt, Florent Héau, Cédric Tiberghien, Romain Guyot,
Paul Meyer, members from the Trio Wanderer, Isabelle Moretti, Royal String
Quartet…Happy to have the opportunity to diversify it’s artistic experiences, it
performed in spring 2005 at the Théâtre National de Chaillot in the show «
Ritournelles » by the German producer Dietrich Sagert. It also participated in
the show “Solo” choreographed by Philippe Decouflé in March and Septemeber 2005
(Opéra de Lyon, Théâtre Mogador de Paris), which it will pick up again in June
2007 in Paris.
In August 2003 the quartet made a recording of Mendelssohn’s
String Quartets Op. 80 and Op. 44 n°1 (with the label Zig-Zag Territoires) to
great critical acclaim. The recording made in November 2004 (Ohana’s String
Quartets) also received awards (Le Monde de la Musique (CHOC),
Diapason (5/5), ClassicaRépertoire (5/5). Three new albums will be
released in Fall 2006 (Ecole de Vienne, Dvorak, Bacri).
The quartet has received generous support for all its
activities from the Mécénat Musical Société Générale, (who, since Decembre 2001,
have lent Bleuenn le Maître a 1796 Joseph Gagliano violin), SPEDIDAM and AFAA.
Since the beginning of 2006, Ayako Tanaka plays a 1628 Antonius & Hieronymus
Amati, lent to her by two anonymous donors.
Tickets available from
Linlithgow Gazette Office, Blast Off Books, or telephone 01506 844247
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