The famed Polish Royal String Quartet (RSQ) will perform their debut
concert in Hanoi on May 7, showcasing several compositions from
world-famous composers.
Organised by the Embassy of Poland to
Vietnam, the quartet’s performance, as a cultural activity to
celebrate Polish National Day on May 3, will take place at the Youth
Theatre, 11 Ngo Thi Nham Street .
Free tickets can be
collected at the Polish Embassy at 3 Chua Mot Cot Street, or at the
Goethe Institute, 56-58 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street after 9 am.
The quartet will also play another performance at the Viet Bac College
of Art in Thai Nguyen City – about 80km from Hanoi – at 7pm on
May 8. Entrance is free.
Featuring Izabella Szalaj-Zimak
(violin), Elwira Przybylowska (violin), Marek Czech (viola), and Michal
Pepol (cello), the quartet was previously nominated for the prestigious
Royal Philharmonic Society Chamber Music Award.
Their repertoire combines outstanding classical music with contemporary pieces, bravely pushing musical boundaries.
As well as receiving rave reviews for their interpretations of
Beethoven, Karol Szymanowski, Shostakovich and Gorecki, the quartet has
also played an important part in promoting lesser known Polish music to
the world.
The critical breakthrough in the RSQ’s career came
with their invitation to join Britain’s BBC Radio 3’s New Generation
Artists scheme (2004-06), which promoted the most talented young
musicians from across the world. This involved participation in
festivals, recordings and radio broadcasts, as well as collaborations
with other participants in the scheme.
The RSQ made the most of
this exposure, going on to win several competitions in Casale
Monferrato (Italy), Krakow (Poland , Kuhmo (Finland) and Banff (Canada). The quartet also received a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award,
given to outstanding musicians to help them develop their international
careers.
Their first international album was released in
January 2009 and was hailed as “Album of the Month” by BBC Music
Magazine. Since then, the quartet has performed at prestigious venues as
well as music festivals in London, Amsterdam, Manchester,
Washington, Bordeaux, Prague, Brussels, Vienna, Berlin,
Seoul, Beijing, and Stockholm .
The RSQ was granted the
Special Award of the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage in
recognition of their contribution to Polish culture.-VNA