Praised for ‘playing of compelling conviction’ (The Daily Telegraph) and ‘astonishing mutual feeling, understanding and responsiveness’ (Seen and Heard International), Foyle-Štšura Duo was formed in 2012 and won the Beethoven Piano Society of Europe Duo Competition and the Salieri-Zinetti International Chamber Music Competition in 2015.
Since then, the Duo has performed in venues such as Wigmore Hall, Purcell Room, Buckingham Palace, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, Usher Hall in Edinburgh, The Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, as well as for the St. Magnus International Festival, Grachtenfestival Amsterdam, New York Chamber Music Festival, Cervantino Festival in Mexico and Evgeny Mravinsky Festival in Tallinn and St. Petersburg. Their performances have been broadcast live on BBC Radio 3, NPO Radio 4 and Estonian Klassikaraadio.
During the 2018–19 season, the Duo released two CDs, The Great War Centenary: Janáček, Debussy and Respighi Sonatas on Challenge Records and Lutosławski and Penderecki: Complete Violin and Piano Works on Delphian Records, both to critical acclaim (‘delivered by both artists in sweeping style’– BBC Music Magazine, ‘richly detailed and impassioned performances’ – The Daily Telegraph, ‘the duo delivers a dream debut, 10/10’ – Luister, ’an extraordinary release, played phenomenally’ – Stretto). Formerly Park Lane Group, Kirckman Concert, Making Music and Live Music Now artists, receiving masterclasses from Stephen Kovacevich and Maxim Vengerov, they are now City Music Foundation Ambassadors. In 2020, the Duo recorded Beethoven’s complete Sonatas for Piano and Violin to mark the composer’s 250th anniversary.
‘The result is an engaging set of performances that cast fresh light on this much-recorded area of the repertoire’ – Julian Haylock, BBC Music Magazine
Beethoven Violin Sonatas Vol. 2 CD review
‘… superlative musicians and technicians … delivered a varied and demanding programme with considerable maturity. […] The two instrumentalists play with astonishing mutual understanding, feeling and responsiveness. Both players performed the entire programme from memory. […] an assured rendition of César Franck’s enduringly popular Violin Sonata … Foyle and Štšura offered an unwaveringly engaging performance …this was certainly impressive and enjoyable playing.’ – Claire Seymour, Seen and Heard International
London, July 2016
‘Schubert’s ‘Grand Duo’ was precisely that, two equal virtuosos playing wonderfully together, from memory … intensely rewarding concentration from both players and the audience. The communication between them was remarkable… It was no surprise that they received such thunderous applause.’ – Andrew Connal, thelatest.co.uk
Brighton, May 2016
‘An excellent and well-matched duo’ – Colin Anderson, The Classical Source.
London, January 2015‘An extraordinary sense of ensemble playing’ – Toomas Velmet, Sirp.
Tallinn, June 2014‘An abundance of mature musical expression and a rare, seemingly limitless variety of tonal colour.’
Borbecker Nachrichten (Essen), May 2014
