In 2024 the multi-genre Epoque Quartet celebrated 25 years since its founding. During this time, it has secured a solid position on the Czech and European music scene, significantly expanded the boundaries of quartet repertoire, and developed into a top-tier ensemble invited to collaborate with numerous outstanding musicians from various areas of the musical world.
Among the ensemble’s most notable projects are tours with Dan Bárta and Illustratosphere, collaborations with Monkey Business, Tatabojs, and Clarinet Factory, as well as concerts and recordings with Michal Pavlíček, Gregory Porter, Lenka Dusilová, Robert Balzar, Dasha, Ondřej Brzobohatý, Tomáš Klus, Jiří Korn, Matěj Ruppert, and in the more classical sphere with Dagmar Pecková, Daniel Hope, Radek Baborák, Ivan Klánský, Adam Plachetka, and others.
In 2020, the compilation album “20 let Epoque Quartet” was awarded Recording of the Year in the crossover category at the prestigious Classic Prague Awards. That same evening, the quartet also received the “Classical Music Event of the Year” award for its anniversary concert at Prague’s Lucerna.
Other successful achievements include the acclaimed album “Epoque Quartet plays Jan Kučera”, summarizing the composer’s long-standing collaboration with the ensemble and nominated for the 2018 Anděl Award. Also the album “Flow”, recorded with Canadian pianist and composer David Braid and christened in New York, with whom EQ undertook a concert tour through Canada, China, and the USA. “Flow” was shortlisted for the prestigious Canadian Juno Award. EQ is also well known to broad audiences thanks to its appearances on the popular television show Stardance.
An interesting project is the album “Komplot”, recorded and released in 2021 during the coronavirus crisis with leading Czech clarinetist Irvin Venyš.
Highly successful is the Ellaboration project, where EQ together with singer Dasha reinterprets famous songs by the legendary jazz icon Ella Fitzgerald. The album “Ellaboration” was released in November 2022 by Supraphon.
Epoque Quartet has performed in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, England, Ireland, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Hungary, Slovakia, Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Bulgaria, Israel, the USA, Canada, Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Japan. The ensemble has also passed on its experience with quartet playing in workshops in the Czech Republic, Serbia, Latvia, Brazil, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Israel.
Epoque Quartet:
David Pokorný – violin
Vladimír Klánský – violin
Alexej Aslamas – alto
Vít Petrášek – cello
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