The silent film concerts of the Prima Vista Quartet

the quartet

strings for silent music

 

Since their creation in 1997, the Prima Vista Quartet has been performing in France, Spain, Italy, Germany, England, Poland, Russia, Netherlands, Cyprus, the United States, China and Africa. In addition to the annual season they used to organize in Clermont-Ferrand from 1997 to 2010, and where they developed an eclectic repertoire, the Prima Vista Quartet is also the founder of the "Onslow Evenings", a festival of romantic chamber music which takes place each year in early August. Prima Vista is now based in Paris.


The Prima Vista Quartet has forged a unique identity : without forgetting the great repertoire of the string quartet, from Mozart and Haydn to Bartók and Shostakovich, with frequent detours through the rediscovery of little-known authors, as well as the creation of modern and contemporary works (sometimes composed for them), the Prima Vista Quartet has consistently explored new aesthetic horizons such as tango, jazz, klezmer, musical tales for children, transcriptions of symphonic and lyric repertoire, or the accompaniment of silent films of which they are one of the few specialists.


Their film concerts have been hosted by many prestigious venues among which the Balzac in Paris, the Barbican in London, the Odeon in Firenze, the Music Box in Chicago, the Florence Gould Hall in New York, the Maison Française of Washington, the Beijing Concert Hall, the Poly Theater of Shanghai, the Stone Towns Theater of Zanzibar, and also in many festivals such as the Film-concert Spring Festival of Bordeaux, Film Meeting of Marcigny, Anères Festival, Cannes Film Festival, Festival Jean Carmet, My First Festival, International Short Film Festival Clermont-Ferrand, International Festival Cine-Jeune, Film Festival of Amiens, Chinese Cinema Festival of Paris, International Film Festival of Gijon, International Festival of Cartagena, International Film Festival of Florence, Como Autumn Music Festival, UK French Film Festival, Festival dei Popoli, EnLive Festival of the Pharos Foundation, International Film Festival of Minneapolis, International Film Festival of Zanzibar, Festival Croisements in China, etc.


Their militant commitment to serving past and new composers of Auvergne (George Onslow, Antoine Lhoyer, Henry Thévenin, Daniel Meier) in connection with musicological research and pedagogy, is a major focus of its artistic activity, which makes the Prima Vista Quartet a musical ambassador of their region.



... the concert repertoire of the Prima Vista Quartet is on primavista.online.fr

a different approach to classic string quartet

« This string quartet combines the virtuosity of its performers with artistic originality. »

F.M., La Tribune-Le Progrés


« The public has enjoyed the youthfulness, the elegance, simplicity and rigor of Prima Vista. A superb performance. »

J-P.A., Le Renouveau


« A magnificent ensemble : virtuosity, precision and a fresh appeal to intense emotions. »

A.B., Le Dauphiné Libéré


« The musicians, with a remarkable and undeniable talent, master the chamber discipline perfectly. »

P.S., Schrobenhausener Zeitung


« Brilliant virtuosity and rigor of the Prima Vista Quartet : with emotion but also power. »

J.G., Var-Matin


« The ensemble is close and technical proficiency undoubted. »

P.G.W., Musical Pointers


« A musical ensemble of rare quality. »

S.E., France-Amérique – édition du Figaro à New York


« A talented ensemble. »

M-C.H., La Voix du Nord


« The Prima Vista Quartet showed stunning virtuosity. »

V.D., Centre Presse


« The Prima Vista Quartet juggles with the string instruments with a belief and an obsession : to get classical music out of its ghetto, jostle the rituals, and take over new venues and different audiences. »

B.C., L’Express

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  Elzbieta Gladys                                                              violin 1
  Raphaële Burgos                                                             violin 2
  Baudime Jam                                                                  viola
  Ladislav Szathmary                                                         cello