the quartet - Quatuor Hanson

The Hanson Quartet was founded in 2013 in Paris. Since then the four musicians have devoted their efforts to exploring the enormously rich repertoire composed for string quartets and to realising the fundamental and inexhaustable possibilities both musical and personal offered by this musical formation.

The Hanson Quartet recorded their first album in 2019 with the label Aparté ,a double CD devoted to the music of Joseph Haydn. This composer, the cornerstone of the string quartet repertoire, has been a constant companion and guide since their debut. The inventivity of his music is a constantly renewed source of inspiration and the double CD takes the form of an eclectic portrait to illustrate Haydn’s modernity and the diversity of his music for string quartet. This first recording received several major awads, including a Diapason d’Or of the Year (Diapason), Choc from Classica, Qobuzissime award and was selected by France Musique as well as being highly acclaimed by the International musical press (Strad magazine, Ongaku Geijutsu, the Classic Review, etc…). The Quatuor Hanson doesn’t limit itself when it comes to repertoire. They have as much passion for Haydn’s string quartets as for newer composition for the same ensemble.

Not All Cat Are Grey, their second opus explores nocturnal musics from the XXth century. This album, praised by the critics, is in total contrast with the classical period and confirms the eclecticism of the ensemble. It defends the idea that so-called contemporary music are extremely diverse, full of contrasts are deserved to be discovered and heard without à priori.

The Hanson quartet also recorded a live performance of George Crumb’s electric quartet Black Angels with B.Records which was released in 2022. This project was awarded BBC Choice and one of the best contemporary recordings of the year by the Schallplakaten Kritik.

The Hanson Quartet has forged a distinct musical identity embracing a wide spectrum of musical horizons and has worked with internationally recognized figures such as Hatto Beyerle and Johannes Meissl as well as with representative Quartets of the French School of Chamber Music such as Ebene and Ysaye. The Hanson Quartet is also passionately engaged with contemporary composers such as Toshio Hosokawa, Wolfgang Rihm and Mathias Pintscher whose Figura IV they interpreted for the French Premiere at the Ircam Festival. The Quartet try to bring together composers of differing periods in their concert programs so as to illuminate the individual works in a new and unexpected manner thanks to the contrast of selected compositions.

The Hanson Quartet has gained a number of international awards, at the Geneva competition, the Joseph Haydn Competition in Vienna and at the Lyon Chamber Music competition. They are supported by the Singer-Polignac Foundation where they are actually in residence, by the Corde Sensible Foundation (French Foundation) and they are laureats of the Banque Populaire.

The Quartet perform in prestigious venues such as the Theatre des Champs Elysées, the Louvre Auditorium, the Wigmore Hall in London, the Philharmonie of Paris, the Victoria Hall in Geneva, the ORF Kulturhaus in Vienna and they regularly perform in Asia. The enriching experience of exchange with various artists is a primordial aspect of their activity and they regularly appear together with musicians widely renowned.

Anton HANSON, Jules DUSSAP
violins

Gabrielle LAFAIT
viola

Simon DECHAMBRE
cello