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MOZART_QUATUOR TALICH
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In its forty-five year history, the Talich Quartet, which
performs all over the world, has included a number of
prestigious Czech musicians.
Talich. The very name conjures up the banks of the Moldau, much loved by
Smetana and the residents of Prague. Jan Talich, who founded the quartet in
1964, is the nephew of Vaclav Talich, who conducted the Czech Philharmonic
Orchestra between 1919 and 1939, achieving giddy heights even before the
batonwas handed over to Karel Ančerl.
In 1970, Jan Talich handed over the reins to the great violinist Petr Messiereur.
Alongside the founder on the viola, the quartet comprised Petr Messiereur
and Jan Kvapil on violins and Evzen Rattay on the cello. With this new line-
up, the ensemble achieved great success with a national, international and
contemporary repertoire.
The success of the first performance given in Paris in 1975 at the invitation of the
AMC led to its first invitation to play in the United States in 1976, and an award
fromthe Charles CrosAcademy in 1977 for itsmythical interpretationofAntonin
Dvořàk’s AmericanQuartet.
Its back catalogue includes the complete sets ofMozart and Beethoven’s string
quartets, Mozart’s string quintets and string quartets by others including
Smetana and Janáček. Taking on the legendary name, the new generation
Talich Quartet has been in existence since 1997, when it was given renewed
impetus by JanTalich Jr. It gives concerts worldwide and is still considered to be
one of the best contemporary quartets.