Hailing from various European countries, the four musicians of the Byron Quartet met around the Lake Geneva region thanks to the impetus of Gabor Takàcs-Nagy. In 2009, they won the Audience Prize at the Migros Culture Percentage Chamber Music Competition, and have since been involved in a number of major concert seasons: London's Guildhall Ensemble Festival, Promenades musicales de Fontainebleau, Concerts de Montbenon in Lausanne, Dimanches musicaux de Thonon-les-Bains, Schubertiades... They are regularly heard on Espace 2 and DRS2 radio stations.

Their first recording is entirely dedicated to Dmitri Shostakovich, who is in the spotlight this year as the number of celebrations of Russian culture in France increases.

The most famous, String Quartet n. 8, is a quasi-autobiographical work that evokes the composer's struggles under the Soviet regime, his compromises and inescapable cowardice. In it, Shostakovich takes up the themes of the works that made him such a success.
The String Quartet n. 9 and the Two Pieces for String Quartet, less well known to the general public, are highly representative of the composer's style (suffering and pain mingled with sardonic humor).

Accompanied by a concert tour, mainly in France and Switzerland, the release of this CD should enable the young Byron Quartet to continue on their path towards professional and public recognition.