Quartet Skaz

Founded in 1973, Quartet Skaz pioneered instrumental chamber performance on Russian folk instruments in the USSR. Since then, the Quartet has actively promoted both Russian folk and classical music. Quartet Skaz’s recordings include several LP’s and three CD’s, as well as many recordings for radio and television. In 1989, the Quartet recorded Balastroika,^[2] the first CD in Soviet music, produced by PAN Records. In 1994, Quartet Skaz participated in the recording of the soundtrack of the film Catherine the Great (USA), with a symphony orchestra with musicians from Germany, Hungary and the US. Later in 1995, Skaz performed for the soundtrack of the film The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Travels with Father (USA). In 2000, Quartet Skaz recorded 14 pieces for an international folk dance project. Russian Disk produced the Quartet’s next CD, Skaz, Russian Folk Quartet, in 2009.^[3]

In the words of Irina Arkhipova, “through its creative and social efforts, the Quartet [Skaz] has achieved great recognition and popularity among a wide audience of music lovers."^[4] For Joseph Kobzon, Quartet Skaz is characterized by “a unique sound, impeccable taste, and extraordinary breadth and diversity of performance.”^[5]

Quartet Skaz received the Lenin Komsomol Prize in 1985 "for great mastery in performance and promotion of folk-music creativity among the youth", and is a laureate of the First Moscow Competition for Performing Artists.