Wigmoore Hall London, 30th April 2000

The Janacek Quartet of Brno has for more than 50 years been Moravia's major chamber music ensemble; on the evidence of this concert, the present formation is the best since the death of founding leader Jirí Travnícek in 1972. Cellist Bretislav Vybíral and violist Ladislav Kyselak are relatively old friends and second violinist Vitezslav Zavadilík joined in 1993, but leader Milos Vacek has not toured in London before. A moving, deeply felt performance of Suk's Meditation showed at once how much of the group's tradition endures: the vigorous bowing, the hair digging deep into the strings but without a hint of roughness, the spot-on intonation and the almost uncanny precision of ensemble. Dvorak's "American" Quartet cannot be heard too often, at least in an interpretation such this one. It danced, it sang, it conjured birds out of trees. Along the way one could admire details such as Vacek's trills and Vybíral's effortless legato. Janacek's "Kreutzer Sonata" Quartet was given a whole-hearted performance. After the angst of Tolstoy's story, the Largo sostenuto from Smetana's E minor restored the Sunday calm. The quartet must return soon to give us the whole work - and the "Intimate Letters".

The Strad - Tully Potter

Edinburgh Festival 2002

One of the great Festival traditions is the morning concert in the Queen’s Hall - and this year’s series got off to the best possible start. The Janacek String Quartet is one of the world’s top chamber groups - and proved it resoundingly here. The giants of modern Czech music are their speciality and we had them all - Martinu, Dvorak, Smetana and, of course, Janacek himself. Is there a more prodigally melodic string quartet than Dvorak’s American in F major? I can’t think of one. And have certainly never heard It played with such passion, perfection and meticulous virtuosity. After the slow movement, I was in pieces. At the end, I could not speak. With the light streaming through the high windows, coffee in the café and friends and fellow Festival-goers spilling into the downtown hubbub of Clerk Street, there is no more quintessential Festival experience.

Daily Scottish Mail - Michael Coveney

Edinburgh Festival 2002

.. What a group: what music they play; and how they play it. They are not, individually or collectively, demonstrative musicians. There is not an ounce of flashy or showy playing in their armoury. They are virtuosic, of course, but that quality in their playing is subdued, discreet and absolutely at the service of the music: and in their first recital they produced some of the most mature, unified, and absolutely homogenous string-quartet playing to have graced the stage of the Queen’s Hall in some time ...

The Herald - Michael Tumelty

Offenbach-Post, 29th July 2004

A passionate completion of Janacek pointed the right of the quartet to bear his name...

Kieler Nachrichten, 2nd August 2004

Every expressive gesture, every scurrile punch line, every modernistic skip of strings into loud effects fit here... Janacek´s late passion shines: passionate love, monumental music. Bravo calls in a full House of Arts...

Frankfurter Rundschau, 4th August 2004

Also the present generation of the Janacek Quartet is a quarantee of a perfect detailed expressive performance. The sound is feverish, tense, gloomy, passionate, reaching the very nerve and all these in the highest concentration.

Main-Echo, 6th August 2004

The Janacek Quartet performed Janacek with beaming expresivity of sound. The members of the ensemble proved to be masterly sensualists working with sound. Always respecting phraseology and music expression they built up fine fabric of voices with strong music impulses and rich characteristic tone colours. Bravo!

Helsingin Sanomat (Finland), 20th September 2004

Right from the first movement of the Janacek´s Kreutzer Sonata the quartet has entered the world class. Their music was masterful and thoroughly thought, themes came out clear and dynamic was distinct and naturally expressed.

Mary Koppinen

General Anzeiger, 4th October 2004

The Janacek Quartet gave a perfect performance with some great moments...

Rovnost, 30th November 2004

The Janacek Quartet in the composition B. Martinů: Concerto for the String Quartet and Orchestra (with the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra) presented an art of a perfekt interplay. It kept full attention by means of a build-up of a long gradation space (2nd movement) and a playful music-making in the 3rd movement.

Jindra Bártová

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 17th April 2005
Review of the CD – Janacek´s String Quartets)

Compared to the previous recordings of the Janacek Quartet, the more recent ones from July 2003 seem to be more energetic and striking in its pointed expressivity of the caleidoscopically developping motives. The oubreaks of fortissimo in the 2nd movement of the first quartet echo with an up to now barley experienced force. Heartbreaking is the beginning of the 4th movement: the violin solo litterary sounds with "teras in your eyes". Equally powerful is the passionatedialogue beginning of the sekond quartet, an energetic blast – Largamente in the 3rd movement disposes almost of a destructive power.

Kymen Sanomat (Finland), 21st September 2005

The Janacek Quartet has ravished the audience
A highly cultured sound of the quartet and a perfekt sound balance paid a good service to the Czech music art. The JQ played Smetana in full absorbtion and there was nothing else to do for the listeners but to imerse into music illusions. A wonderful evening with the Czech music.

Jouko Nikkine

Bank of Scotland Queen's Hall, 23rd August 2005

The Janacek Quartet penetrated the essence of each work with emotion and matchless intelligence. They remain second to none in this repertoire.

The Guardian (on a performance of Dvorak String quartets)

Bank of Scotland Queen's Hall, 25th August 2005
Janacek String Quartet and Miloslav Jelinek (double bass)

... almost breathtaking in its combination of light, lean and fleet momentum with real soul and an uncommon depth of expression.

The Herald on the Janacek Quartet

Linz, May 2007

The Janacek Quartet celelebrating the 60th anniversary of its existence offered in the Brucknerhaus in Linz a fancy program from its country. The Dvorak´s Concerto d-Moll was carried out in a unique chime, above all the third movement was interpreted without a superfluous sentimentality, yet with great passion. Martinu´s String quartet no. 2 pointed out the ensemble´s kinship to folk music and was carried out with an unbelievable technical skill. Janacek´s String quartet no. 2 was presented in such an impressive way that can be heard only rarely. Immense ovations resulted in two encores by Dvorak and Smetana.

Oberoesterreichische Nachrichten

Music Festival Korsholm, 11.6. 2009

The quartet managed to create mathematical impossibility, since the result of four multiplied by one is usually one. However, tonight four multiplied by one equalled one. There was only one perfectly sonorous instrument, although four players were sitting behind their music stands. Their timing was precise, musical feeling unified, intonation perfect - in short, the quartet´s synchronization even in the smallest details was perfect and fluent. Through the time of their cooperation this musical ensemble of four men has become one instrument alone.