Modigliani Quartet
Philippe Bernhard violin
Loïc Rio violin
Laurent Marfaing viola
François Kieffer cello
“The Modigliani is not the kind of quartet, common today, that lures the listener into a bath of warm, sumptuous string tone, or that dazzles with pyrotechnics. Instead it plays with a Gallic cool, supported by a solid, thoroughly unified technique.”. The New York Times
Founded in 2003, the quartet has made its name known to international audiences by winning first prizes at international competitions in Eindhoven (2004), Vittorio Rimbotti in Florence (2005) and at the prestigious Young Concert Artists Auditions in New York (2006). Since then, the Modigliani Quartet has become one of the most eagerly listened-to young chamber music ensembles, invited to play at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Vienna’s Musikverein and Carnegie Hall. The Quartet was selected to participate in the ECHO Rising Star tour of major European concert halls in the 2011-12 concert season. In the same season the musicians will also tour in Australia, the United States and Japan. QuatuorModigliani has invited musicians to perform at their concerts. These included M. Dalberto, H. Demarquette, A. R. El Bacha, G. Hoffman, B. Berezovsky, P. Meyer, J.-F. Neuburger and S. Gabetta. Devoted to the music of Mendelssohn, the Quartet’s third album was released in August 2010 on the Mirare label, receiving general praise in reviews. The album was also selected as record of the month by the prestigious Fonoforum magazine. The ensemble’s previous album was devoted to the music of Haydn and received the Grand Prix for best music album from Académie Charles Cros, as well as numerous other prizes.
After completing their studies with musicians of QuatuorYsaÿe and participating in master-classes through Pro-Quartet with W. Levin i G. Kurtág, the ensemble was invited by the Artemis Quartet to work with them in Berlin at the Berlin Universität der Künste. Thanks to support from generous sponsors, the members of the Modigliani Quartet perform on four wonderful Italian instruments.
