Arriaga Quartet, string quartet

Named after Juan Crisostomo de Arriaga (1806-1826) a Spanish composer aptly dubbed the Spanish Mozart, the Arriaga Quartet was founded by a group of young musicians freshly graduated form the Royal Conservatory of Brussels and the illustrious Juilliard School of New York.

Firmly established on the traditions of the Belgian school of violin, the Arriaga Quartet has thus also inherited the more dynamic approach of its mentor, the Juilliard Quartet. The combination of influences gave the Arriaga Quartet the strong technical foundation and audacity required to explore beyond familiar musical horizons. Indeed, from its 1980 inception to the new Millennium, the Arriaga Quartet's mission remained focused on unveiling gems by masters of lesser fame, winning them an ever growing audience of enthusiastic followers, among both laymen and professionals. An extremely active recording and live radio broadcast schedule in 1997 helped the Arriaga Quartet earn the prestigious Prix Fuga, awarded by the Association of Belgian composers.

Besides producing its own yearly Quartet Festival in Bruges, and performing regularly at the Festivals of Flanders and Walloonia and the Philharmonic Society, the Arriaga Quartet has been invited to participate in numerous Festivals throughout Europe, Israel and South Africa. The Quartet has recorded string quartets by Mendelssohn and Vieuxtemps. The new recording of all three works by its namesake marks its debut for ASV, although leader Michael Guttman has already appeared many times in the ASV catalogue as a concerto soloist.