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Leopold Chen

Russia’s Borodin Quartet returns to Hong Kong this week with a programme that marks the chamber music ensemble’s 80th anniversary.
Comprising two violinists, a violist and a cellist, the quartet remains an authoritative interpreter of Dmitri Shostakovich’s music.
On May 16 the ensemble will perform the Russian composer’s String Quartet No 1 in C major, Op 49, and on May 17, his Piano Quintet in G minor, Op 57, with Russian pianist Andrey Pisarev.
The two concerts, presented by the Hong Kong String Orchestra (HKSO), will also feature music by Beethoven and Dvorak.

HKSO founder and artistic director Yao Jue asked the quartet to tailor its Hong Kong programme to showcase its playing style. “[They] are well-known pieces, but not easy to perform. I think the Hong Kong audience will be really inspired by their playing.”
The Borodin Quartet last appeared in Hong Kong in 2015. Since then Nikolai Sachenko has taken over as first violinist following the retirement in 2022 of Ruben Aharonian.
Ahead of its performances, the ensemble praised Hong Kong audiences for their “true dedication” to chamber music.
Hong Kong is the last stop on the Borodin Quartet’s anniversary tour of China, which so far has featured stops in 10 cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen. Hong Kong is the only city on the tour in which the quartet will present two separate concerts, Yao says.
HKSO musicians will share the stage with the Borodin Quartet in the May 16 concert. The musicians will also deliver two masterclasses that will be broadcast on RTHK.

The Borodin Quartet was founded in 1945 under the auspices of the Moscow Conservatory, the Soviet Union’s leading musical institute of higher education, and takes its name from the late composer Alexander Borodin, one of the pioneers of Russian chamber music.
Despite restrictions on Soviet musicians during the Cold War, the ensemble’s achievements were recognised in the West, and it toured in the United States.
It was nominated for a Grammy Award for best chamber music performance twice, for its album of works by Shostakovich in 1970 and its 60th anniversary performances in 2005.
Some concert presenters in Hong Kong have been wary of inviting Russian musicians to perform in the city since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but Yao says cultural exchanges should not be politicised.
“Art is art and music is the international language. People should put artistry first,” she says. “The Borodin Quartet are legendary and they inspire us with their music. We should have an open dialogue and learn from each other.”

Yao’s orchestra is looking to enhance cultural exchanges with Russia, notably through a potential strategic partnership with the Moscow Conservatory, she revealed.
“Russian musicians play a very large role in the world of music. It would be good that through cultural exchange, we can learn [from] and respect each other’s culture,” she said.
According to Rayfield Allied, a London-based classical music agency that represents the Borodin Quartet worldwide, the ensemble will also perform in the Netherlands, Spain and France after the China tour, followed by a tour of the US in the autumn.


Borodin Quartet, Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall, Tsim Sha Tsui, May 16, 8pm; Borodin Quartet and Andrey Pisarev Piano Quintet, Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall, May 17, 8pm. Tickets from HK$340 (US$44) to HK$1,080.


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Music

Russia’s Borodin Quartet to perform in Hong Kong on its 80th anniversary China tour

The Borodin Quartet. Photo: Nikita Sharpan

The Borodin Quartet perform in Nanjing, Jiangsu, China, on April 25, 2025, during its 80th anniversary tour of China, which will end with two concerts in Hong Kong. Photo: Tu Jingqing/Jiangsu Centre for the Performing Arts

Yao Jue, who invited the Borodin Quartet to perform in Hong Kong, says its programmes will showcase the ensemble’s style and inspire Hong Kong audiences. Photo: Hong Kong String Orchestra

Russia’s Borodin Quartet will perform for the first time in a decade in Hong Kong, on the last stop of its 80th anniversary China tour. Photo: Nikita Sharpan

The Borodin Quartet comprises (from left) first violinist Nikolai Sachenko, violist Igor Naidin, second violinist Sergei Lomovsky, and cellist Vladimir Balshin. Photo: Nikita Sharpan

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The Esmé Quartet – (from left) cellist Heo Ye-eun, violist Kim Ji-won, second violinist Ha Yu-na and first violinist Bae Won-hee – make their Hong Kong debut on February 24 as part of the 2023 Hong Kong Arts Festival. Photo: Esmé Quartet

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The Russian string quartet will be playing music by Shostakovich, Beethoven, Dvorak and Borodin at two concerts in the city


The Russian string quartet will be playing music by Shostakovich, Beethoven, Dvorak and Borodin at two concerts in the city.


Classical music

Performing arts in Hong Kong

Ukraine war

Russia’s Borodin Quartet to perform in Hong Kong on its 80th anniversary China tour

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The Russian string quartet will be playing music by Shostakovich, Beethoven, Dvorak and Borodin at two concerts in the city

The Russian string quartet will be playing music by Shostakovich, Beethoven, Dvorak and Borodin at two concerts in the city