The Tobias String Quartet has been regularly performing to concert and festival audiencesince its foundation in 2000. The members of the quartet had also cooperated earlier but they performed for the first time under the name of the Tobias String Quartet at the festival “Tobias and his Time” in 2001. The name of the quartet is a tribute to composer Rudolf Tobias who wrote the first Estonian string quartet
At present, the quartet comprises the following members:
Maano Männi (violin)
Kristjan Hallik (violin)
Toomas Nestor (viola)
Aare Tammesalu (cello)
In September 2003 the quartet recorded their first CD for a company Erdenklang
(Germany) in cooperation with Estonian Record. String quartets by F.Bruk sound
on the CD. The Tobias String Quartet has also recorded for the Estonian Radio
a string quartet by Lepo Sumera, Jaanikvartett (Midsummer Quartet) by Veljo
Tormis, Tõnis Kaumann’s quintet "Drive" for tenor saxophone
and string quartet. On the order of the Tobias String Quartet, Tõnis
Kõrvits has written his "Four Religious Estonian Folk Songs”
and Robert Jürjendal has written a string quartet "Monitor".
In addition to concerts in Estonia, the quartet has also performed in Stockholm
(2003) and Berlin (2005).
The repertoire of the quartet includes masterpieces of the world’s quartet
literature and Estonian music also has an important part in it.
The performance of the Tobias String Quartet was everything intrinsic of a good chamber ensemble: romantic, high quality vigour of sound and well presented piano in particular. In other words, the performance was successful both in details and as a whole. "
Compared to some other Estonian quartets, the picture of sound of the Tobias Quartet comprises pleasant warmth and diverse colours of sound. "
