"The performance of the Quartet Berlin-Tokyo is sincere, their enthusiasm and love for music leave a strong impression." Toshio Hosokawa
The Quartet Berlin-Tokyo was given its name at the suggestion of the renowned Japanese composer Toshio Hosokawa in the course of an invitation to the Takefu International Music Festival. But there is more to the name than reference to these two metropolises; it is rather about a path running between them – and this is precisely the issue the young artists are engaged with. It is therefore not coincidental that they feel committed to the music of Béla Bartók and his striving for a synthesis between East and West.
The group was founded in 2011 by students of the two conservatories in Berlin. Only a few months later, they celebrated initial success at the International Music Competition of the ARD in Munich 2012 when awarded the prize of the Jeunesses Musicales Germany, followed by the first prize and an Audience Award at the Orlando International String Quartet Competition in 2014.
Other prizes that the Quartet obtained include the second-and-audience prize at the International "Salieri Zinetti" Competition in Verona, second prize of the Young Concert Artists Audition New York, third prize at the “Franz Schubert” competition in Graz, second prize and the ''Best interpretation of Carl Nielsen'' prize at the ''Carl Nielsen International Chamber Music Competition'' in Copenhagen, third prize at the ''International Joseph Joachim Chamber Music Competition'' and the special prize ''Prix Irène Steels-Wilsing'' at the 8th ''Quatuors à Bordeaux'' string quartet competition in France.
The Quartet Berlin-Tokyo has also been supported by several scholarships, including scholarships from the Matsuo Academic Foundation Tokyo and Ottilie Selbach Redslob Foundation, Germany.
In October 2014, the ensemble was awarded a scholarship by the Irene Steels-Wilsing Foundation and in 2015 they became ''HSBC Laureates'' of the ''Aix en Provence'' Festival, France.
The ensemble has performed at numerous national and international concert venues, including the Hamburg Laeiszhalle, the Berlin Philharmonic, and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. In addition, the four young musicians are regularly invited to prestigious festivals such as the ''Aix en Provence'' Festival,
Oslo Chamber Music Festival, the Takefu International Music Festival, Heidelberger Frühling and the Davos Festival in Switzerland, where they also performed the 5-and-a-half-hour long string quartet of Morton Feldman.
They have received musical inspiration and guidance from Oliver Wille, David Alberman, András Keller, Gerhard Schulz, Hartmut Rohde, Johannes Meissl, Jean-Guihen Queyras, Heime Müller, Eberhard Feltz, the Artemis Quartet and the Arditti Quartet.
Since 2014 the Quartet has held a residency position at the new Fukinoto Concert hall of Rokkatei in Sapporo, Japan. During this residency they already produced recordings of all quartets by Béla Bartók and complete op. 76 by Joseph Haydn.
Prizes, Awards & Festivals
2011 International Music Festival Takefu, Japan
2012 ARD International Music Competition Munich for String Quartet
Special Prize 'Förderpreis der Jeunesses Musicales Deutschland'
2013 Full scholarship from Matsuo Academic Foundation, Japan and Ottilie-Selbach-Redslob Stiftung Germany
Second Prize & Audience Prize at the Salieri-Zinetti International Chamber Music Competition, Verona, Italy
2014 ''Heidelberger Frühling'' String Quartet Festival
Japan concert tour and residency in the 'Rokkatei-Hall' for 3 years, Sapporo, Japan
Residence ensemble at the Academy of the prestigious Festival d'Aix-en-Provence, France
FIRST & AUDIENCE prize at the Orlando String Quartet Competition, Netherlands
International Chamber Music Festival of Oslo, Norway
Debut recital at the the Royal Concertgebouw Amsterdam
Second prize at 'Young Concert Artist', New York, USA
Third prize at the ISW-Stiftung String Quartet Competition, Berlin
2015 Third prize at the “Franz Schubert'' string quartet competition, Graz, Austria.
Second prize and prize for the 'Best interpretation of Carl Nielsen' at the
Carl Nielsen International Chamber Music Competition in Copenhagen, Denmark
'HSBC Laureates' Award of the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence, France
2016 Third prize at the 'International Joseph Joachim Chamber Music Competition'
Special prize 'Prix Irène Steels-Wilsing' at the 8th Quatuors à Bordeaux String Quartet Competition, France
2017 Davos International Music Festival, Davos, Switzerland
Trecastagni Festival, Catania, Italy
SWR 2 Live Radio Broadcasting, Villa Ludwigshöhe, Edenkoben, Germany
Japan concert tour and residency in the 'Rokkatei-Hall' for 3 years, Sapporo, Japan
NHK Radio Broadcasting, Tokyo, Japan
2018 Davos International Music Festival, Davos, Switzerland
2019 Selected for joining the network of Le Dimore del Quartetto
International Music Festival, Italy
Became members of VDSQ, Germany
2019 Davos International Music Festival, Davos, Switzerland
TSUYOSHI MORIYA Violin I
Plays the 1725 Carlo Tononi violin on generous loan from the Nippon Violin Ltd. Japan
DIMITRI PAVLOV Violin II
Plays the 1874 Jean - Baptiste Vuillaume a Paris violin on generous loan from the Stiftung Worpswede, Germany
GREGOR HRABAR
Viola
Plays on a replica of Gasparo da Salò made by Joachim Schade
RUIKO MATSUMOTO Violoncello
Plays the 1935 Ernesto Pevere