Pyotr Tchaikovsky

The current line-up of Romantic Quartet, all students of Moscow State Conservatory and of Russian Academy of Music, have been performing together since 1996. In the present time Romantic Quartet belongs to the leading and best Russian chamber ensembles. It consists of Vladislav Narodytski, Mikhail Bolkhovitin, Andrei Usov, Sergei Astashonok.

The Quartet was born thanks to Valentin Berlinsky, the cellist and leader of famous Borodin Quartet and acknowldged music master who shared his knowledge with and inspired a number of fine string players. Members of the Quartet had as teachers Hugh Maguire of String Britten-Pears School of Advanced Music Studies, Mariana Sirbu of Trio de Milano, Simon Rowland-Jones of the Royal College of Music in London. Quartet took part in master-classes of Helmut Lachenmann, Arditti Quartet, etc.

For several years in a row Romantic Quartet was winning national music contests. In 1999 they get 1st prize and several Special Prizes at the 5th International Shcostkovich String Quartets Contest.

Quartet tours extensively nationally and worldwide. They performed at David Oistrakh festival in Parnu (Estonia), at Chamber Music Festival in Minsk (Belorus), participated in 21st Century Stars, a top-end concert series of Moscow Philharmonic, at the String quartet festival in Blonnay (Switzerland). In 2000 Quartet was invited to perform at Orlando festival in Holland, in February 2001 they played in Lingotto Centre in Torino, Italy. Romantic Quartet is constantly participant of the Quartet Music Festival at the Moscow Conservatory Maly Hall (1998 – 2006). In 2006 Romantic Quartet was invited for International Music Festival “Musical Kremlin”.

Quartet collaborated with many famous musicians such as Borodin Quartet, Moscow Contemporary Music Ensemble, Nicolai Petrov, Andrei Diev, Stefan Metz, Tomas Vavilov, etc.

The repertoire of Romantic Quartet is compiled of music of different times – from Viennese classics to contemporary composers, with special focus on Russian music from famous pieces by Tchaikovsky, Rakhmaninov, Prokofiev, Shostakovich to less known inspirational works of Taneev, Miaskovsky, Vainberg etc. Quartet collaborates with number of the Russian and foreign contemporary composers. “Their style equals to their name” – critics say.