Modigliani Quartet

The Paris based Modigliani Quartet, which was founded in 2003, is a regular guest of the world’s top venues and finest string quartet and chamber music series. It was a special honor for the quartet to be the first string quartet to perform in the big hall of the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg when it opened in 2017. In 2020 the quartet became Artistic Director of the string quartet festival “Quatuors à Bordeaux” as well as the renowned “The Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition”.

In the 2021-22 season the quartet is focusing on the composer Franz Schubert and his 225th anniversary (in 2022) and is dedicating itself intensively to all of his string quartets. In spring and summer 2022, the quartet will play a Schubert cycle featuring all fifteen string quartets in Schwarzenberg and Hohenems. In October and November 2021, they will be touring in Düsseldorf and through Italy with the Schubert Octet with Sabine Meyer et al. Other highlights of the 2021-22 season are concerts at the Konzerthaus Dortmund, at the philharmonic halls in Köln, Berlin, and Paris, as well as in Istanbul and Basel.

In December 2020 the Modigliani Quartet celebrated the world premiere of the string quartet “Split Apart”, whicih was composed especially for them by the British composer Mark Anthony Turnage. The piece has its origins in the UK’s referendum to leave or remain in the European Union: the composer’s despair and anger at the Brexit vote are channeled into the work. The string quartet was already presented at the Musikverein Wien and at Flagey in Brussels. In the 2021-22 season, performances at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw (October 2021) and at the Staatstheater Darmstadt (April 2022) will follow.

Since its founding the Modigliani Quartet has enjoyed performing larger chamber music works, which is how the quartet has built true artistic friendships with other musicians such as Nicholas Angelich, Tanja Tetzlaff, Beatrice Rana and Renaud Capuçon. In the 2021-22 season, such concert highlights will be performances with Sharon Kam, Yeol Eum Son, Victor Julien-Laferri and Julilan Steckel.

The quartet has been recording for the Mirare label since 2008 and has released 10 award-winning CD’s since. Their 9th album “Portraits”, was featured in the bestseller list 2-2019 (category chamber music) at the “Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik”. Their album “Schubert Octet”, which was recorded together with Sabine Meyer, Bruno Schneider, Dag Jensen, and Knut Erik Sundquist, and published in April 2020, received international critical acclaim. In 2021 the Modigliani Quartet is recording all of Schubert’s string quartets; release date is scheduled for January, 2022.

Amaury Coeytaux plays a 1773 violin by Giovanni Battista Guadagnini, Loïc Rio plays a 1780 violin by Giovanni Battista Guadagnini, Laurent Marfaing plays a 1660 viola by Luigi Mariani, and François Kieffer plays a 1706 cello by Matteo Goffriller. The Modigliani Quartet also thanks SPEDIDAM for its help.