ENSEMBLE · STRING QUARTET
Quatuor Danel
First
to record all 17 Weinberg quartets Complete Cycles
Beethoven, Shostakovich & Weinberg International
Wigmore Hall, Gewandhaus Leipzig, Phillips Collection & more ABOUT
The Quatuor Danel has been at the forefront of the international classical music scene for decades with their bold, vibrant, and concentrated performance style, and celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2022. The Danel’s 2023-24 North American tour included concerts for Aspect Chamber Music Series, Peoples’ Symphony Concerts, Music Toronto, Chamber Music in Oklahoma, and the McGill International String Quartet Academy. Additional touring activities this season include performances in France, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Portugal, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong.
The Danel is known for its deeply personal interpretations of the string quartet cycles of Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert, Shostakovich, and Weinberg. Its lively and fresh vision of traditional quartet repertoire has won the Danel lavish praise from both the public and the press. In addition, Russian composers have a vital place in the Danel’s repertoire: the Quartet has regularly championed the string quartets of Shostakovich, and its very recent release of the complete quartet cycle which was recorded at the Gewandhaus Leipzig has already won a range of prizes and has been recognized as the quartet’s next benchmark recording.
Uniquely among string quartets, the Danel has worked closely with both the late Valentin Berlinsky formerly of the Borodin Quartet as well as Irina Shostakovich to refine the deeply personal interpretations of Russian music for which the Quartet is revered in Europe. The Danel’s long personal relationship and exceptionally close work with Dmitri Shostakovich’s widow Irina informed these performances in a specific and profoundly personal way, offering a very rarely accessed glimpse into Shostakovich’s genius.
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The Quatuor Danel was the first quartet ever to record the complete and previously unknown quartet oeuvre of Mieczysław Weinberg, the neglected contemporary of Shostakovich, for the CD label CPO. The Quartet will continue to offer this breathtakingly beautiful and too little known repertoire in coming seasons. In addition, they have collaborated with major contemporary composers such as Wolfgang Rihm, Helmut Lachenmann, Sofia Gubaidulina, Pascal Dusapin, and the stars of the younger generation including Jörg Widmann and Bruno Mantovani.
Most recent recording projects consist of the three Tchaikovsky quartets, the Quartet and Piano Quintet by Franck with pianist Paavali Jumppanen, and the earlier mentioned Shostakovich String Quartet Cycle for the label Accentus. The Danel’s next CD release will concentrate, again in collaboration with Gewandhaus Leipzig and Accentus, on a CD-release of the complete Beethoven String Quartet cycle in 2027.
At the very heart of the Quatuor Danel’s work lies its ambassadorship for young musicians in general and string quartets in particular. As the artist-in-residence at the University of Manchester (United Kingdom) since 2005, the Quartet works closely with students, with teaching and master classes as a fundamental part of their activities.
PRESS & REVIEWS
What the critics say
“…the Quatuor Danel plays with warmth and conviction.”
— The Boston Globe
“The Quatuor Danel plays superbly, with each instrument individually inflecting and shading its line.”
— Gramophone
“Quatuor Danel shines a sensuous light on Shostakovich and Weinberg.”
— Bachtrack
Discography
Recordings
VIDEOS
Videos
2026-27
Programs & Repertoire
Program One
- Beethoven String Quartet No. 1 in F major, Op. 18
- Shostakovich String Quartet No. 8 in C minor, Op. 110
- Intermission
- Tchaikovsky String Quartet No. 1 (or Mendelssohn Op. 80, or Ravel)
Program Two
- Mozart Adagio and Fugue in C minor, K. 546
- Mendelssohn String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 13
- Gubaidulina Reflections on the Theme B-A-C-H
- Intermission
- Beethoven String Quartet in A minor, Op. 132
Program Three
- Prokofiev String Quartet No. 1, Op. 50
- Weinberg String Quartet No. 2, Op. 3
- Intermission
- Shostakovich String Quartet No. 3 in F major, Op. 73
Program Four
Mendelssohn Only / Razumovsky
All-Mendelssohn (Op. 44 quartets) or all-Beethoven Razumovsky (Op. 59) programs available.
Program One
- Beethoven String Quartet No. 11, Op. 95 "Serioso"
- Mendelssohn String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 13
- Intermission
- Beethoven String Quartet No. 15 in A minor, Op. 132
Program Two
- Mozart Adagio and Fugue in C minor, K. 546
- Gubaidulina Reflections on the Theme B-A-C-H
- Mendelssohn String Quartet No. 1 in E-flat major, Op. 12
- Intermission
- Beethoven Quartet in B-flat major, Op. 130, with Grosse Fuge, Op. 133
Program Three
- Prokofiev String Quartet No. 1, Op. 50
- Weinberg String Quartet No. 2, Op. 3
- Intermission
- Shostakovich String Quartet No. 3 in F major, Op. 73
Program Four
With Veronika Hagen, viola, and Clemens Hagen, cello
- Glazunov String Quintet in A major, Op. 39
- Intermission
- Tchaikovsky String Sextet in D minor, Op. 70 "Souvenir de Florence"
On Stage
Featured Projects
Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich & Weinberg Cycles
String Quartet
The Quatuor Danel regularly performs the three great Russian string-quartet cycles: the quartets and sextet of Tchaikovsky, the fifteen quartets of Shostakovich, and the seventeen of Shostakovich's friend Mieczysław Weinberg (1919–1996). The first ensemble ever to record Weinberg's complete cycle, the Danel single-handedly led the revival of this long-neglected Polish-Jewish composer's music.