Violist

For Vladimir Balshin, cellist of the renowned Borodin Quartet, the Simply Quartet is "one of the most remarkable quartets of its generation." The ensemble established itself during their joint studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. Their pursuit of the greatest possible fidelity to the original works—coupled with passionate dedication and exceptional musicality—has earned the quartet no fewer than four first prizes at prestigious chamber music competitions. As former ECHO Rising Stars, the four musicians now perform in Europe's most important concert halls, from London to Brussels to Amsterdam, and have also given guest performances overseas. They return to Salzburg with a top-notch classical chamber music program.

Pure classical music: Simply Quartet

Mozarteum Foundation

Franz Schubert set the scene of the "cheerful," "capricious trout" from Christian Schubart's poem to music in one of his most famous and popular songs. So popular that, a few years after this popular success, he used the themes of the "Trout" song as the basis for a sequel: the equally cheerful "Trout Quintet." Within Schubert's oeuvre, the posthumously published piano quintet is the only one of its kind. Before the Simply Quartet crowns its Ordenssaal concert with this captivating and characterful piece, it will perform excerpts from the first string quartet by jazz musician and composer Wynton Marsalis and the late-discovered and published "Poem" by the late Romantic composer Rebecca Clarke.

Trout Quintet

Ludwigsburg Residential Palace

Finding coherence in the complex – that is the Simply Quartet's recipe for success. After winning several international competitions, including the Carl Nielsen Competition in Copenhagen and the Joseph Haydn Chamber Music Competition in Vienna, the young ensemble is one of the rising stars of the quartet scene. For their debut in our quartet series, the four musicians will perform classics of the genre such as Mozart's “Hunting Quartet” and Grieg's Opus 27, as well as Wynton Marsalis’ jazzy Creole Contradanzas and American composer Rebecca Clarke’s thought-provoking Poem.

EPSG:4326

The Simply Quartet plays Mozart, Grieg, Clarke and Marsalis

Berliner Philharmonie

Internationality is key: Founded in China, trained in Madrid and other places, based in Vienna – it's no wonder that the Simply Quartet always has big goals. As former "ECHO Rising Stars," the ensemble is now returning to Cologne.

Violist

Xiang Lyu

Events

Past events

Oct 28, 2025

Pure classical music: Simply Quartet · Internationale Stiftung Mozarteum

Jul 11, 2025

Trout Quintet · Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele

Future and recently performed repertoire

Viola in Trout Quintet by Schubert

Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele

Viola in String Quartet No. 2 by Brahms

Internationale Stiftung Mozarteum

Viola in String Quartet No. 17 (The Hunt) by Mozart

Internationale Stiftung Mozarteum

Viola in Italian Serenade by Wolf

Internationale Stiftung Mozarteum

Viola in String Quartet No. 1 by Grieg

Kölner Philharmonie

Viola in Poem for String Quartet by Clarke

Kölner Philharmonie

Viola in String Quartet No. 1 by Marsalis

Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele

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