Barbican Quartet's New Album, "Manifesto on Love"

Released on Genuin Classics, the debut album features works by Leoš Janáček and Robert Schumann

The Barbican Quartet, comprised of violinists Amarins Wierdsma and Kate Maloney, violist Christoph Slenczka, and cellist Yoanna Prodanova, has released their debut album, Manifesto on Love, which features works by Leoš Janáček and Robert Schumann.

Released on Genuin Classics, the album presents Janáček's "Intimate Letters" String Quartet No. 2 and Schumann's String Quartet Op. 41 No. 3.

"Intimate Letters" is often referred to as Janáček's "manifesto on love," aligning with the album's title. The contrast between Schumann's expansive musical lines and Janáček’s ambiguous texture and outbursts are combined in the album as expressions of the human need for love and togetherness.

Additionally, Dobrinka Tabakova's The Ear of Grain and Schumann's Drei Duette Op. 43 No. 2 Lied, "If I were a bird" are presented in the album.

To purchase and listen to the album, click here.

Watch the trailer below

The Barbican Quartet was awarded First Prize at the 71st ARD International String Quartet Competition, along with the special prize for Best Interpretation of the commissioned work by Dobrinka Tabakova, the Genuin Classics CD production special prize, the GEWA prize, and the Henle Urtext prize.

The Barbican Quartet's name has a dual meaning: a Barbican is a defensive wall surrounding a city or castle, which the quartet connects to their quest to discover, develop, and continue the tradition of string quartet playing. The Barbican Quartet is also deeply connected to London, as it was at the Barbican Center that the quartet had its founding concert in 2015.

The founding members, Amarins, Christoph, and Yoanna met at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama during their studies, first playing chamber music together for pleasure and later becoming more serious. Now the international quartet (who come from 4 nationalities and speak a total of 7 languages between them) spends its time between London and Munich.

The quartet won First Prize at the 2019 Joseph Joachim International Chamber Music Competition as well as the 2018 St Martin in the Fields Chamber Music Competition. They made their Wigmore Hall debut in 2017 thanks to the Maisie Lewis Award and in 2018 the Royal Philharmonic Society awarded them the Albert and Eugenie Frost Prize. The Barbican Quartet was selected as the St John Smith Square Young Artists for 2020 and were Park Lane Group artists in 2016.