Artists

Apollon Quartet

The repertoire of the Apollon Quartet includes primarily works by classical composers like Mozart, Beethoven, Dvořák and Janáček, but one can also be attracted by names rather unusual for chamber music — Gillespie, Coltrane, and Corea. These make the Apollon Quartet repertoire especially genuine. For the performance of jazz compositions they use the arrangements of the Turtle Island String Quartet. All their jazz compositions for string quartet are very impressive, charming and stand a good chance of bringing a new expression to the interpretation of chamber music.

As the Apollon Quartet has been performing not only in Prague, but also on the Czech and international scene, the ensemble has managed to win the respect and favour of a wide audience and captivate listeners who follow various music trends.

Czech Television has filmed and broadcast a documentary focusing solely on the Apollon Quartet and the programme enjoyed great success. The Apollon Quartet has also worked on several projects for Czech Radio, and together with the Radio Prague Symphony Orchestra gave a concert for string quartet and orchestra by Bohuslav Martinů. Thanks to this successful cooperation the Apollon Quartet has been performing as the “Czech Radio Ensemble” since 1997.

Since 1995 the quartet released six classical CD recordings (Ravel, Janáček, Brahms, Schubert, Dvořák, Smetana) and three jazz CD “Apollon in Jazz”, “A Night in Tunisia” and “Cross Roads”.

The Apollon Quartet won the international Beethoven competition and was awarded a prize for the best interpretation of a Beethoven work there. They also took part in the final of the international music competition in Düsseldorf and participated in master workshops in the Netherlands and Germany where they played with performers of the Fine Arts Quartet and Alban Berg Quartet.

The ensemble has also performed at a number of prestigious festivals, such as the Bruckner Festival in Karlsruhe, the Chamber Music Festival in Bolzano, and others, and has gone on several successful tours in Japan, Spain, Germany, England, Belgium and other countries.

The Apollon Quartet

Pavel Kudelásek (*1962) — violin: graduated from the Prague Conservatory in the class of Professor Jaroslav Foltýn and studied under Professor Antonín Moravec at the Academy of Performing Arts (AMU). He also attended masterclasses taught by Professor Kato Havas. In 1993 he became Professor of Violin Playing at the Prague Conservatory. He has been a member in many successful ensembles (Dvořák Quartet, Czech Chamber Orchestra, Pro Arte Antiqua). He also works as a composer.

Radek Křižanovský (*1968) — violin: graduated from the Prague Conservatory in the class of Professor Karel Přibyl and also played chamber music with the Prague Conservatoire Quartet led by Professor Viktor Moučka. In 1994 he completed his studies at the AMU where he studied music under Professor Jiří Novák. He has also been deputy concertmaster of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra.

Pavel Ciprys (*1973) — viola: graduated from the Brno Conservatory and studied under Professor Ladislav Kyselák at the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts. He is a laureate of the international music competition “Beethovenův Hradec”, a scholar of the Foundation of Czech Music Fund, and holder of the Leoš Janáček Foundation prize. At present he works as a solo violist in the Radio Prague Symphony Orchestra.

Pavel Verner (*1963) — violoncello: graduated from the Prague Conservatory in the class of Professor Pravoslav Sádlo. At the AMU he studied under Professor Saša Večtomov and Stanislav Apolín. He has played in the Eberle Quartet since 1988 and won a prize for the interpretation of Janáček’s first string quartet at a competition in Evian in 1989. He has also been a concertmaster of the State Opera of Prague.