The Takács Quartet is today recognised as one of the world's leading string quartets. Formed in 1975 in Budapest by Gabor Takács-Nagy, Károly Schranz, Gabor Ormai and András Fejér, the Quartet's talent was soon recognised with the award of first prize at the Evian and Portsmouth (now London) International String Quartet Competitions.

The Quartet signed an exclusive recording contract with Decca/Universal in 1988. Their multi-award winning recordings include the quartets Opp. 59 & 74 by Beethoven (2002 Gramophone Award/2003 Japanese Record Academy Award/Grammy Award 2003), the Op 18 quartets by Beethoven (2004 Japanese Record Academy Award/Winner : Chamber category Gramophone Awards 2004), and the six quartets by Béla Bartók (1998 Gramophone Award). In addition the Quartet has recorded works by Haydn, Mozart, Brahms, Schubert, Dvorák, Borodin, Smetana and Chausson.

From the 2005/6 season, the Takács Quartet will be Quartet in Association at the South Bank Centre in London. They are also Resident Quartet at the Aspen Music Festival.

Future engagements include appearances in Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, Geneva, Cologne, Milan, Zurich, Bilbao, Lisbon, New York, Washington, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and at the Aspen Festival. They will return to Japan in 2006, and to Australasia in 2008. Other highlights include a series of joint concerts with the Hungarian folk music ensemble Muzsikas in January 2006 exploring the connections between traditional Hungarian folk melodies and the works of Béla Bartok.

Since 1983 the Quartet has held a Residency at the University of Colorado, USA, and in 1988 the Takács Quartet was appointed Visiting Quartet at the Guildhall School of Music in London.

The Quartet members have been awarded the Knight Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary.