Novus String Quartet

String Quartet

Jaeyoung Kim
Violin
Young-uk Kim
Violin
Kyuhyun Kim
Viola
Wonhae Lee
Cello
These four musicians resist the temptation to let their technical mastery come ahead of the music. Instead, it becomes a basis on which they build their transparent, almost modernist sound. That care, combined with an openness to repertoire from Bach to the Second Viennese School and beyond, is what makes them such an unusual ensemble.
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Biography

"The Novus String Quartet doesn’t need reserves and guardedness. As fiery as it approaches the classics, it already plays right at the top.“
With these words closes the 2019 review by RBB kulturradio of the quartet’s third album including the Berg’s Lyric Suite and Schubert’s “Death and the Maiden”.

Established at the Korean National University of Arts in 2007, the Novus String Quartet is one of the leading chamber music ensembles in Korea, and first caused a sensation in Europe in 2012 when they earned the Second Prize in the string quartet category at the renowned ARD Music Competition. Two years later the quartet crowned itself with the First Prize at the Salzburg Mozart Competition where Lukas Hagen of the Hagen Quartet was the Jury Chair. Ever since the quartet is filling the international concert halls and inspires audience and critics likewise.

From 2011 to 2014, the Novus String Quartet studied with the Professors Christoph Poppen and Hariolf Schlichtig at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Munich and in the season of 14/15 at the Hochschule für Musik in Lübeck with Professor Heime Müller, former member of the Artemis Quartet. In 2016 and 2017, the Novus String Quartet was mentored by the Belcea Quartet and was accepted into their Belcea Quartet Trust Coaching Scheme.

Their first CD (Novus Quartet #1) was released at the French Label Aparté in Spring 2016, presenting works from Beethoven, Webern and the rarely played Korean composer Isang Yun. The 2nd recording including Tchaikovsky’s 1st string quartet as well as the sextet “Souvenir de Florence” was released in Autumn 2017, followed by the recording of the string quartet with Berg’s Lyric Suite and Schubert’s quartet “Death and the Maiden” in the Spring of 2019 which was chosen as sélection album by Le Monde in January 2019. Their latest release (spring 2022) is one with Shostakovich String Quartets No. 3 & No. 8 on the Aparté label. Back in February, it was rated 5 out of 5 in Diapson Magazine.

In fall 2022, the quartet will perform at the first edition of the Erben Music Festival under the artistic direction of Vadim Gluzman. European highlights of the season include their concerts at the Konzerthaus Dortmund, the Alte Oper Frankfurt, the Kölner Philharmonie and the Tonhalle Zurich. The four musicians will return to Wigmore Hall London with a three-part concert cycle.

2022/2023
This biography is to be reproduced without any changes, omissions or additions, unless expressly authorized by artist management.
Contacts: Linda Uschinski (Department Head), Matthias Hermann

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Programme

2024 / 2025

You’ll find the current programmes in the IMPRESARIUM of the 24/25 season

2023 / 2024
Program I

Mozart: String Quartet No. 16 in E-flat major, K 428

Mozart: String Quartet No. 17 in B major, K 458

Piazzolla: “The Four Seasons” for String Quartet

Program II

Brahms: String Quartet No. 1 in C major, Op. 51 No.1

Brahms: String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 51 No.2

***

Brahms: String Quartet No. 3 in B-flat minor, Op. 67

Program III

 

Haydn: String Quartet in B minor, Op. 33 Nr. 1 Hob. III: 37

Dvořák: String Quartet No. 12 in F major, Op. 96 “Amerikanisches”

***

Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 12 in D-flat major, Op. 133

Program IV

Mozart: String Quartet No. 16 in E-flat major, K428

Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 1 in E-flat major, Op. 12

***

Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 9 in E-flat major, Op. 117

Schedule

12.04.2024
19:30 Uhr
DE / Hamburg - Elbphilharmonie Kleiner Saal
Novus String Quartet
14.04.2024
11:30 Uhr
GB / London - Wigmore Hall
Novus String Quartet
15.04.2024
19:30 Uhr
GB / London - Wigmore Hall
Novus String Quartet
17.04.2024
19:30 Uhr
CH / Brugg - Stadtkirche Brugg Kirchpl., 5200 Brugg, Schweiz
Novus String Quartet

Discography

Shostakovich: String Quartets
Dmitri Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 3 F major, Op. 73
String Quartet No. 8 C minor, Op. 110

Berg & Schubert
Alban Berg
Lyric Suite for String Quartet

Franz Schubert
String Quartet No. 14, D 810, “Death and the Maiden”

Franck: Piano Works & Quintet
César Franck
Prelude, Choral & Fuge in B-minor, M21
Prelude, Aria & Final in E-major, M 23
Piano Quintet in F-minor, M 7

Michel Dalberto - Piano

Tchaikovsky: String Quartet & Sextet
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
String Quartet No. 1, Op. 11
String Sextet, "Souvenir de Florence", Op. 70

Lise Berthaud - Viola
Ophélia Gaillard - Cello

Novus Quartet #1
Anton Webern
Slow movement for String Quartet

Ludwig van Beethoven
String Quartet, Op. 95, "Quartetto Serioso"

Isang Yun
String Quartet No. 1

Videos

Contact

Linda Uschinski (Department Head)
t: +49 (0)30 414 781 717
Matthias Hermann
t: +49 (0)30 414 781 716