DALIA KUZNECOVAITĖ (1st violin)
ARTŪRAS ŠILALĖ (2nd violin)
GIRDUTIS JAKAITIS (viola)
AUGUSTINAS VASILIAUSKAS (cello)

The creative work of the Vilnius String Quartet, now spanning more than four decades, has left a distinct trace on Lithuania’s cultural scene. Ever since their debut in 1965, members of the Quartet have consistently polished their musicianship to achieve a deep sense of unanimity, the ability to reveal the deepest layers of music’s meaning, a wide range of sound, colour and emotions, and a sensibility to all the different nuances of interpretation. These refined features of the Quartet have won accolades both in Lithuania and abroad as well as several important honours, including the first prize at the International String Quartet competition in Liege (1972), the Lithuanian National Arts and Culture Prize (2004) and the Baltic Assembly Prize (2005).

Named, in 1973, after the city of Vilnius, the ensemble has always felt its mission to put its namesake on the world map. Having toured in 50 countries throughout the world, the Quartet gives around 80 concerts each year in Europe, Central and South Americas, Asia and Africa. Vilnius String Quartet has represented Lithuania at numerous international festivals and prestigious events, such as December Evenings in Moscow, festivals of Bregenz, Echternach, Cervantes and Kuhmo, appearing regularly at the world’s top concert halls, such as the Merkin Hall in New York, Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, Gewandhaus in Leipzig, Musikverein in Vienna, Bayerische Rundfunk in Munich, Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto, Salle Olivier Messiaen in Grenoble and Mozarteum in Salzburg.

Averaging some 80 concerts a year, the Vilnius String Quartet specialises in the traditional string quartet repertoire, including all the classics, bus also performs contemporary works. Its vast repertoire of over 450 works boasts more than 150 quartets by contemporary foreign composers and about 100 works by Lithuanian composers (half of them being especially dedicated to the ensemble). Its deep comprehension of music from various epochs and styles enables the ensemble to employ a wide range of musical expression in interpreting Haydn, Beethoven and Brahms, Schulhoff and Schönberg, Schnittke and Cage. The Quartet has performed complete string quartets by Haydn and Beethoven and Mozart’s entire output for string quintet. They have accomplished many impressive concert series featuring music from the 18th-21st centuries. Thanks to its ample repertoire the Quartet has been repeatedly invited to the recording studios in many countries of the world. Its record credits currently include over 40 albums on various Lithuanian, Russian, German, French, Finnish, Swedish, British and American labels.

The concert of the Vilnius quartet convinced us, that this ensemble could be included into the group of the best quartets of the world… one can be impessed by their polished artistry, precise intonations, their absolute respect of the text. That was the evening of chamber music when one could exclaim: “The moment, stop, you are beautiful!”

Luxemburger Wort, Luxemburg

Fur alle Vorstellungen dieser Spielzeit, das litauische Vilnius-Quartett aus der Sowjetunion geholt, das seinen Beethoven ganz vorzuglich interpretiert: pra zise in den musikalische Strukturen, mit dem Mut zu Schroffheit und Kargheit, wo immer diese Musik an der Grenze des Verstummens es erfordet

Frankfurter Allgemeine, West Germany