“Passion, precision, warmth, a gold blend: these are the trademarks of this excellent Israeli string quartet.” Such was the New York Times’ impression of the Jerusalem Quartet. Since the ensemble’s founding in 1993 and subsequent 1996 debut, the four Israeli musicians have embarked on a journey of growth and maturation. This journey has resulted in a wide repertoire and stunning depth of expression, which carries on the string quartet tradition in a unique manner. The ensemble has found its core in a warm, full, human sound and an egalitarian balance between high and low voices. This approach allows the quartet to maintain a healthy relationship between individual expression and a transparent and respectful presentation of the composer’s work. It is also the drive and motivation for the continuing refinement of its interpretations of the classical repertoire as well as exploration of new epochs.

A regular and beloved guest on the world’s great concert stages, the quartet makes regular bi-annual visits to North America, performing in cities such as New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Washington, and Cleveland, as well as in the Ravinia Festival. In Europe, the quartet enjoys an enthusiastic reception with regular appearances in London’s Wigmore Hall, Tonhalle Zürich, Munich Herkulessaal, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, and various festivals.

The Jerusalem Quartet records exclusively for Harmonia Mundi. The quartet’s recordings, particularly the albums featuring Haydn’s string quartets and Schubert’s “Death and the Maiden,” have been honored with numerous awards such as the Diapason d’Or and the BBC Music Magazine Award for chamber music. In 2018, the quartet released two albums, one of Dvořák’s String Quintet Op. 97 and Sextet Op. 48, and a much-awaited recording of the celebrated quartets by Ravel and Debussy, and last year they completed their cycle of the quartets of Béla Bartók.

We last heard the Jerusalem Quartet in April 2019. They were scheduled for two concerts on April 1 and 2, 2020, when COVID intervened. Tonight’s concert makes up for their absence from our stage.