Balanescu Quartet

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Avant-garde string ensemble

title: "Balanescu Quartet" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["musical-groups-established-in-1987", "english-string-quartets", "romanian-musical-groups", "contemporary-classical-music-ensembles", "mute-records-artists"] description: "Avant-garde string ensemble" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balanescu_Quartet" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Avant-garde string ensemble ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox musical artist"]

Field	Value
name	Balanescu Quartet
landscape
years_active	–present
website	https://www.facebook.com/BalanescuQuartet/
current_members	{{Plainlist
past_members	{{Plainlist
::

| name = Balanescu Quartet | image = | image_size = | landscape = | alt = | caption = | alias = | origin = | genre = | years_active = –present | label = | website = https://www.facebook.com/BalanescuQuartet/ | current_members = {{Plainlist |

Alexander Bălănescu
Yuri Kalnits
Úna Palliser
Nick Holland | past_members = {{Plainlist |
Katie Wilkinson
James Shenton
Helen Kamminga
Sian Bell
Jonathan Carney
Clare Connors
Nick Cooper
Caroline Dale
Bill Hawkes
Anthony Hinnigan
Kate Musker
Andrew Parker Paul Martin ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/94/Balanescu_Quartet_TFF.JPG" caption="The ''Balanescu Quartet'' at [[TFF Rudolstadt]] 2013"] ::

Balanescu Quartet is an avant-garde string ensemble formed in 1987. Current members are Alexander Bălănescu (violin), Yuri Kalnits (violin), Úna Palliser (viola) and Nick Holland (cello).

Group history

The quartet has roots in collaborations with composers such as Michael Nyman and Gavin Bryars, through projects with Lounge Lizard John Lurie, Jack de Johnette, Ornette Coleman, David Byrne, the Pet Shop Boys, Spiritualized, Kate Bush and Kraftwerk. They have played in locations such as London's South Bank Centre and New York's Knitting Factory, and opened to 10000 Pet Shop Boys fans at Wembley Arena. Their recording of *University Challenge*s title music on BBC2 in the UK has been in use since 2000.

Their early albums were on Mute Records and Argo Records (UK).

Recordings

Possessed (1992)
Luminitza (1994)
Angels & Insects (1995) (soundtrack)
East Meets East (1997)
Maria T (2005)
This Is The Balanescu Quartet (2011)
Balanescu (2019)
Michael Nyman - String Quartets 1-3 - featuring the Balanescu Quartet (1991)
Balanescu Quartet Play Byrne/Moran/Lurie/Torke - featuring David Byrne, Robert Moran, John Lurie and Michael Torke (1992)
Geoff Smith - Gas • Food • Lodging - featuring the Balanescu Quartet (1993)
Kevin Volans - String Quartets Nos. 2 & 3 - performed by the Balanescu Quartet (1994)
Gavin Bryars - The Last Days - featuring the Balanescu Quartet (1995)
Spiritualized - Pure Phase (1995)
Rabih Abou-Khalil - Arabian Waltz - featuring the Balanescu String Quartet (2002)
Optimo - How To Kill The DJ (Part 2) - featuring music by the Balanescu Quartet (2004)
Michael Torke - Six - featuring the Balanescu Quartet (2005)
Stateless - Matilda featuring the Balanescu Quartet (2011)
Ada Milea & Alexander Balanescu - The Island - featuring the Balanescu Quartet (2011)
Teho Teardo - Diaz - featuring the Balanescu Quartet (2012) (soundtrack)

References

(16 July 2023). ""Bjeguni" otvorili Ljetopis, festival koji kulturu utiskuje u svaku poru Bara".
"Staša Zurovac i Balanscu Kvartet".
(21 September 1992). "The Balanescu Quartet - Possessed".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::