Krása Quartet, a young ensemble specializing in music by Jewish authors from the Terezín Ghetto, are releasing their debut album, with compositions by Hans Krása, Erwin Schulhoff and Karel Ančerl. Krása’s Theme with Variations and his String Quartet, Schulhoff’s Divertimento for String Quartet and Ančerl’s Two Student Fugues all come from early stages of these composers’ careers, before the political events in the aftermath of the First World War drastically affected their lives. In 2012, four young musicians who met during their studies at the Prague Conservatory decided to found their own ensemble. The members of Krása Quartet – Marie Forestová (cello), Šárka Petříková (first violin), Jan Palouček (second violin) and Daniel Menhart (viola) – were then of similar age as these authors would have been while working on their early compositions.

Now, having gained experience performing at festivals in Czechia and abroad and participating in master classes (Pavel Haas Quartet, Hagen Quartet), the quartet are relaesing their debut album. Besides quartet classics, such as, for example, works by Ludwig van Beethoven, the ensemble’s repertoire encompasses 20th-century music, with special emphasis on works of Hans Krása and other Terezín authors. Krása Quartet regularly collaborate with foremost instrumentalists, including pianists Jan Bartoš and Marek Kozák, as well as with choirs and dance ensembles. For several years, the ensemble performed as part of the ballet production Vertigo at the National Theatre in Prague.