Quatuor Habanera (F)
The members of the French saxophone Quartet Habanera are Christian Wirth, soprano saxophone, Sylvain Malezieux, alto saxophone, Fabrizio Mancuso, baritone saxophone and Gilles Tressos, baritone saxophone. Enthusiasts of rarely visited musical territories travel across a variety of musical stages, from contemporary creations to unusual repertoires and transcriptions, from world music to improvised music. After studying at the Paris Conservatoire (Conservatoire national Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris – CNSMDP), where the Habanera Quartet won the first prize for chamber music, the ensemble has arguably created a unique record of eight first international chamber music prizes (Bordeaux, Sanguinetto, Düsseldorf, Osaka). Since
their inception, they have recorded for Alpha Productions – for their albums and soundtracks such as “Mysterious morning” (Alpha 010), “Glazounov, Grieg, Dvořák” (Alpha 041) and recordings of contemporary works (Ligeti, Xenakis, Donatoni, etc.) for which they have received numerous awards (Golden Diapason, Classica and Répertoire recommendations). The Habanera Quartet is becoming increasingly popular year after year in France (Théâtre de la Ville, Opera comique, “Folles journées” in Nantes, “Festival de l’Epau”, IRCAM, Radio France, “Académie Bach”…) and all over the world (Japan, China, USA, Canada, Europe). Classical musicians “without a tailcoat” aim to blur the boundaries of classical concerts by bringing together Bach, Reich, Dvořák and Ligeti on stage in one evening. Louis Sclavis, Dave Liebman, Richard Galliano, Michel Portal and David Krakaue are famous for having fused their improvisations into the tightly knit framework of a saxophone quartet. In 2023, the Habanera Quartet celebrates its 30 years of existence, and they will mark this special anniversary by touring around the world.