In 2013 Chiaroscuro was a prize-winner of the German Förderpreis Deutschlandfunk/Musikfest Bremen and received Germany’s most prestigious CD award in 2015 for their recording of Mozart’s Quartet in D minor K421 and Mendelssohn’s Second String Quartet in A Minor, Op.13.  Their growing discography includes recordings of music by Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn and Haydn. Recently released are the three Prussia Quartets which you are about to hear.

Prior to the first ‘lockdown’ the quartet’s engagements included their enthusiastically received debut concerts at the Vienna Konzerthaus and Philharmonie Warsaw, their first US tour and a return visit to Japan. They have appeared at numerous festivals and prestigious venues such as the Edinburgh International Festival; the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam; the Auditorio Nacional de Música, Madrid; the Auditorium du Louvre, Paris; the Snape Maltings and are frequent performers at Wigmore Hall, London.

Obviously this year has been extremely challenging on so many levels and being a string quartet based in four different countries definitely hasn’t helped our logistical hurdles! During the first lockdown last year, we were forced to take a quartet sabbatical for 6 months. Trying to plan where to meet later in the summer was rather tricky too but we decided to go to Italy which didn’t have any quarantine rules at the time. We rehearsed intensively, all day long for five days but also had time to cook lots of lovely food!

In the Autumn there was a hopeful period where things started happening again and we were able to perform a few concerts in Potsdam, Berlin and London which were either with a very small audience or for broadcast only. In November we recorded the Mozart Prussian string quartets in Snape Maltings and it was great feeling to have accomplished it in spite of what were at times seemingly small odds.

Throughout this period we’ve had quite a lot of zoom meetings, not only to discuss ever changing concert plans but trying to check in on each other. It’s important to remind ourselves and each other that soon we will be able to perform to a live audience again and that will be such a buzz!

Alina Ibragimova has established herself as one of the most accomplished and intriguing violinists of her generation, performing music from the Baroque era to new commissions on both modern and period instruments. After beginning her studies in Moscow she moved to the UK with her family in 1996. She continued her studies at the Yehudi Menuhin School and the Royal College of Music. Her teachers have included Natasha Boyarsky, Gordon Nikolitch and Christian Tetzlaff.

Alina has performed chamber music here and abroad. (You will remember that she gave a memorable recital for Ilkley Concert Club with Cédric Tiberghien in April 2018). Alina has appeared as a concerto soloist with the LSO, AAM, OAE, all the BBC orchestras and many others in Europe. In 2015 she was a prominent presence at the BBC Proms as concerto soloist, performing with a Baroque ensemble and in two late night recitals to capacity audiences featuring the complete Partitas and Sonatas of Bach.

Pablo Hernán Benedi was born in Madrid, and after studying at the Padre Antonio Soler Conservatory of San Lorenzo de El Escorial he moved to London in 2009 to continue his studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Pablo is a founding member of Trio Isimsiz. This award winning group won First Prize and the Audience Prize at the Trondheim International Chamber Music Competition and Second Prize in the Haydn Vienna Competition.

As a soloist Pablo has performed with the Philharmonia, London Chamber Players and Concerto Budapest amongst others. He works regularly as a section leader with Arcangelo, Concerto Budapest, Chamber Orchestra of Europe and the Swedish Radio Orchestra.

Emilie Hörnlund was born in Goteborg, Sweden. She studied at the Falun Music Conservatory, Guildhall School of Music and the Royal College of Music. She also studied baroque viola with Annette Isserlis. In 2006, Emilie became the first viola player to reach the finals of the Swedish Soloists Competition, the Ljunggrenska Tavlingen.

Formally a member of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Emilie has held the position of Principal Viola at the Swedish Royal Opera since 2010. She works with many other orchestras in the UK and Sweden including the BBC Phil, London Chamber Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, Philharmonia, OAE, the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Kungliga Filharmonikerna Stockholm.

Claire Thirion was born in France and studied at the conservatoires in Marseille and Boulogne-Billancourt, then at the Paris Conservatoire before entering the Royal College of Music to study with Jérȏme Pernoo and Catherine Rimer (Baroque cello). In 2006 she was awarded the prestigious Tagore Gold Medal.

Claire performs across Europe as a soloist and chamber musician. She is in great demand as a performer of both modern and Baroque works. In 2008-10 she held the position of principal continuo player with Emmanuelle Haïm’s ensemble, Le Concert d’Astrée. She works regularly with LSO, OAE the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and is frequently invited as guest leader on period instruments with various ensembles here and abroad.