Quatuor Hanson

The Hanson Quartet was founded in 2013 in Paris. Since then, the four musicians have continually explored the richness of the string quartet repertoire and the profound potential of this formation, which offers endless opportunities for both musical and human exploration.

They have shaped their musical identity by exploring diverse horizons, working closely with Austrian masters such as Hatto Beyerle or Johannes Meissl while maintaining a strong imprint of the French school’s heritage with members of Ysaye and Ébène quartet. Driven by a deep curiosity, the Hanson Quartet is also passionate about contemporary composers such as Toshio Hosokawa, Wolfgang Rihm, and Matthias Pintscher—whose Figura IV they premiered in France at the IRCAM Festival. In August 2021, they recorded a live performance of George Crumb’s striking amplified quartet Black Angels at the Deauville Festival for the label B records (BBC choice, Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik).

They enjoy creating bold and unexpected juxtapositions between composers from different eras, curating programs where these contrasts shed new and surprising light on the works performed.

Winners of numerous international prizes, including the Geneva Competition and Haydn Competition, the Hanson Quartet is supported by the Singer-Polignac Foundation (where they are currently in residence), the Corde Sensible Foundation (under the aegis of the Fondation de France), and are laureates of the Banque Populaire Foundation.

Their international career has taken them to prestigious venues such as the Théâtre des Champs-Élysée, Wigmore Hall in London, the Philharmonie de Paris, Victoria Hall in Geneva, the ORF Kulturhaus in Vienna, and the Auditori in Barcelona. They also tour regularly in Asia and are frequent guests at major festivals, including La Folle Journée in Nantes, Warsaw and Tokyo or the Deauville Festival. These artistic encounters are an essential source of inspiration and growth for the ensemble.

Following two acclaimed albums with the Aparté label—the first dedicated to Joseph Haydn (awarded a Diapason d’Or de l’Année and Choc Classica), and Not All Cats Are Grey, which explores the nocturnal landscapes of 20th-century music—the Hanson Quartet joined Harmonia Mundi to release a double album featuring Schumann’s string quartets and piano quintet, alongside their long-time musical partner Adam Laloum (Choc de Classica).