Vlach Quartet Prague
The Quartet Prague follows a rich tradition of Czech chamber music as successor to the famous Vlach Quartet led by the violinist Josef Vlach, father of Jana Vlachová and a strong influence on the work of the newer ensemble. The Vlach Quartet Prague, formerly the New Vlach Quartet, was founded in 1982, winning its first distinguished awards the following year and in 1985 first prize in the International String Quartet Competition in Portsmouth. In 1991 the quartet won the prize of the Czech Society for Chamber Music and the following year the prize of the Czech Music Fund for its recording of quartets by Smetana and Janáček.The year 2000 brought the German Record Critics Prize for a recording of Alexander KreinÂs Esquisses hébraïques with the clarinettist Dieter Kloecker. In addition to concert tours throughout Europe and a residency from 1997 to 1999 in Japan, the quartet is active in the recording and broadcasting studio. The members of the Vlach Quartet Prague are the violinists Jana Vlachová and Karel Stadherr, the viola-player Peter Verner and the cellist Mikael Ericsson. They are active as soloists and also form a core of the prestigious Czech Chamber Orchestra.
August 2004
