“The exceptional Stenhammar Quartet”

The Guardian

Biography

Formed in 2002, the Stenhammar Quartet has established itself as one of Scandinavia’s leading string quartets. A wide-ranging repertoire spans from the Classical period to contemporary works, while naturally affording the quartets of Wilhelm Stenhammar and other Swedish composers their allotted space. The Quartet regularly commissions works from Nordic composers, and has collaborated with figures such as Anders Hillborg, Sven-David Sandström, Kaija Saariaho and Bent Sørensen. In 2009 the ensemble was commended by the Royal Swedish Academy of Music for its contributions to Swedish music.

The Stenhammar Quartet has to date made some forty recordings for Swedish Radio, participated in broadcasts on Swedish television and been the subject of a documentary on the French music channel Mezzo. Its several recordings for record labels such as BIS, CPO och Alba have met with  critical acclaim from reviewers both in Sweden and internationally, earning the Quartet two  nominations for the Swedish “Grammis” Awards. 2024 will see the release of the first disc of two with quartets by the Finnish composer Kalevi Aho.

Touring extensively, the Stenhammar Quartet has performed across Europe, as well as Japan, Algeria and India, appearing at prestigious venues such as Beethoven-Haus Bonn and Tokyo Bunka Kaikan. Plans for the next couple of years include visits to Canada (2024) as well as to Greece and Japan (2025).

“This is terrific quartet playing!”

The Strad