Violinists Wolfram Brandl and Krzysztof Specjal, violist Yulia Deyneka and cellist Claudius Popp first performed together as a quartet in 2017, presenting a series of concerts with the complete Schubert quartets in Berlin’s new Pierre Boulez Saal. The idea to form a permanent string quartet came from Staatskapelle’s musical director Daniel Barenboim.

The group’s chamber music partners have included Frans Helmerson, Christiane Karg, Jörg Widmann, Mojca Erdmann and Elisabeth Leonskaja. With Daniel Barenboim, they appeared in the popular concert broadcast on WQXR in New York. During the Covid lockdown in 2020, Barenboim and the quartet also performed Schubert’s Piano Quintet as part of Deutsche Grammophon’s ‘Moment Musical’ streaming series..

The group’s repertoire includes music in a broad range of styles, including contemporary works. The four musicians have performed on many of the world’s most famous stages, such as Wigmore Hall in London, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris and Auditorio Nacional de Música in Madrid.