Formed in 2005, the Chiaroscuro Quartet comprises violinists Alina Ibragimova (Russia) and Pablo Hernán Benedí (Spain), the Swedish violist Emilie Hörnlund and cellist Claire Thirion from France. Dubbed ‘a trailblazer for the authentic performance of High Classical chamber music’ in Gramophone, this international ensemble performs music of the Classical and early Romantic periods on gut strings and with historical bows. The quartet’s unique sound – described in The Observer as ‘a shock to the ears of the best kind’ – is admired by audiences and critics all over Europe. An acclaimed and growing discography includes recordings of music by Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn and Haydn. The ensemble was a prizewinner at the German Förderpreis Deutschlandfunk/Musikfest Bremen in 2013 and received Germany’s most prestigious CD award, the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik, in 2015. Among the ensemble’s chamber music partners are renowned artists such as Kristian Bezuidenhout, Nicolas Baldeyrou, Chen Halevi, Trevor Pinnock, Malcolm Bilson, Jonathan Cohen and Christophe Coin. The ensemble has performed at the Vienna Konzerthaus, Philharmonie Warsaw, Carnegie Hall and on tour in Japan. Other highlights have included appearances at the Edinburgh International Festival, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, London’s Wigmore Hall and Kings Place, the Auditorio Nacional de Música Madrid, Auditorium du Louvre Paris, Pierre Boulez Saal and Beethoven-Haus Bonn.
