KuK-Art.com

T

he hallmark of the South-west German Chamber Orchestra Pforzheim is its fresh and gripping musical approach and stylistic diversity from early to contemporary music. The ensemble consists of fourteen musicians of seven different nationalities and is one of the few full-time chamber orchestras in Europe. This allows for exceptional richness and flexibility of sound, which is maintained even when the Orchestra is enlarged with further wind or string players. The ensemble was founded in 1950 by Paul Hindemith's former student Friedrich Tilegant. Soon the ensemble won international recognition: One talked of the "Tilegant-sound", which could not only be heard at the festivals in Salzburg, Lucerne and Leipzig as well as on world-wide tours, but which was also documented on numerous recordings. Maurice André, Dietrich Fischer-Diskau, Frans Brüggen and Yehudi Menuhin are only a few of the celebrity names who have worked with the Orchestra. After the Tilegant-era, which ended far too early after the premature death of its founder in 1968, the Orchestra was moulded by the Viennese Paul Angerer (1971-1981), Vladislav Czarnecki (1986-2002), who came from the Czech music tradition, and Sebastian Tewinkel (2002-2013). To shape and develop sound, style and program in the future Timo Handschuh has assumed the position of the orchestra's music director with beginning of the concert season 2013/14. On its road to success the South-west German Chamber Orchestra has made numerous broadcasts for almost all European radio stations and released nearly 250 records and CDs, many of which were awarded international prizes (Grand Prix du Disque, Monteverdi Prize, Prox Artur Honegger). Several premiere performances (Jean Françaix, Harald Genzmer, Enjott Schneider) prove its competence in contemporary music. Currently the Chamber Orchestra plays together with renowned soloists such as Gidon Kremer, Rudolf Buchbinder, Christian Tetzlaff, Sabine Meyer, Frank Peter Zimmermann, Mischa Maisky and Anatol Ugorski. Together with them - but also with up-and-coming young musicians - the Orchestra has been invited to perform in all European countries as well as in the USA and Japan. Ideas for new programmes beyond the traditional subscription concerts extend the ensemble's profile. In 2001, the South-west German Chamber Orchestra toured Europe's great concert halls with Giora Feidman and Facundo Ramirez, playing Klezmer and Argentinian folklore (Misa Criolla), and the ensemble continues to tread new paths with American violinist Monique Mead to win young audiences for classical music ("Classic for Kids"). The Orchestra recently recorded a newly composed score which was mixed with original soundtracks of the Comedian Harmonists and performs other projects of chamber opera, dance (Flamenco with Nina Corti) and marionette theatre.

M

ichael Martin Kofler was born in Villach, Austria in 1966 and obtained a Flute Performance degree with distinction at the Vienna Musikhochschule under Werner Tripp and Wolfgang Schulz, as well as studying with Peter-Lukas Graf at the Basel Music Academy.In 1987 Sergiu Celibidache invited him to join the Münchner Philharmoniker as Principal Flute. He has been honored with many prizes at competitions (ARD, Brussels, Prague, among others) and was also the recipient of Cultural Endowment Prizes awarded by the Münchner Konzertgesellschaft and by the Austrian state of Carinthia, as well as receiving an honorary prize from the Austrian Ministry of Science and the Cultural Prize of his native city of Villach. Since 1983 Michael Martin Kofler has performed concertos, recitals and chamber music as a flute soloist throughout the world and has also been featured as a soloist and chamber ensemble member on DVD, CD and in recordings for radio and television. He regularly performs as a soloist with renowned orchestras such as the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields, the Australian Chamber Orchestra, the Budapest Strings, the Vienna and Munich Chamber Orchestra, and the Philharmonic and Symphony Orchestras of Munich, Prague, Moscow, Tokyo, Tel Aviv and Warsaw. He has performed as a soloist with conductors such as James Levine, Lorin Maazel, Sir Neville Marriner, Fabio Luisi, Herbert Blomstedt, Frans Brüggen, Ton Koopman and Jonathan Nott. His chamber music partners have included Paul Badura-Skoda, Irwin Gage, Stefan Vladar, Stephan Kiefer, Konrad Ragossnig, Xavier de Maistre, Regine Kofler, Martin Spangenberg, Benjamin Schmid, Clemens and Veronika Hagen as well as the Mandelring Quartet and the Mozart Quartett Salzburg. Since 1989, as a professor at the Mozarteum Salzburg Michael Martin Kofler has worked with considerable success with a solo performance master class, and has been invited to important international competitions as a jury member, as well as to teach master classes in Europe, Asia and America.

© by www.michaelkofler.de (Version: June 24, 2015). All rights reserved.

T

he hallmark of the South-west German Chamber Orchestra Pforzheim is its fresh and gripping musical approach and stylistic diversity from early to contemporary music. The ensemble consists of fourteen musicians of seven different nationalities and is one of the few full-time chamber orchestras in Europe. This allows for exceptional richness and flexibility of sound, which is maintained even when the Orchestra is enlarged with further wind or string players. The ensemble was founded in 1950 by Paul Hindemith's former student Friedrich Tilegant. Soon the ensemble won international recognition: One talked of the "Tilegant-sound", which could not only be heard at the festivals in Salzburg, Lucerne and Leipzig as well as on world-wide tours, but which was also documented on numerous recordings. Maurice André, Dietrich Fischer-Diskau, Frans Brüggen and Yehudi Menuhin are only a few of the celebrity names who have worked with the Orchestra. After the Tilegant-era, which ended far too early after the premature death of its founder in 1968, the Orchestra was moulded by the Viennese Paul Angerer (1971-1981), Vladislav Czarnecki (1986-2002), who came from the Czech music tradition, and Sebastian Tewinkel (2002-2013). To shape and develop sound, style and program in the future Timo Handschuh has assumed the position of the orchestra's music director with beginning of the concert season 2013/14. On its road to success the South-west German Chamber Orchestra has made numerous broadcasts for almost all European radio stations and released nearly 250 records and CDs, many of which were awarded international prizes (Grand Prix du Disque, Monteverdi Prize, Prox Artur Honegger). Several premiere performances (Jean Françaix, Harald Genzmer, Enjott Schneider) prove its competence in contemporary music. Currently the Chamber Orchestra plays together with renowned soloists such as Gidon Kremer, Rudolf Buchbinder, Christian Tetzlaff, Sabine Meyer, Frank Peter Zimmermann, Mischa Maisky and Anatol Ugorski. Together with them - but also with up-and-coming young musicians - the Orchestra has been invited to perform in all European countries as well as in the USA and Japan. Ideas for new programmes beyond the traditional subscription concerts extend the ensemble's profile. In 2001, the South-west German Chamber Orchestra toured Europe's great concert halls with Giora Feidman and Facundo Ramirez, playing Klezmer and Argentinian folklore (Misa Criolla), and the ensemble continues to tread new paths with American violinist Monique Mead to win young audiences for classical music ("Classic for Kids"). The Orchestra recently recorded a newly composed score which was mixed with original soundtracks of the Comedian Harmonists and performs other projects of chamber opera, dance (Flamenco with Nina Corti) and marionette theatre.

T

he hallmark of the South-west German Chamber Orchestra Pforzheim is its fresh and gripping musical approach and stylistic diversity from early to contemporary music. The ensemble consists of fourteen musicians of seven different nationalities and is one of the few full-time chamber orchestras in Europe. This allows for exceptional richness and flexibility of sound, which is maintained even when the Orchestra is enlarged with further wind or string players. The ensemble was founded in 1950 by Paul Hindemith's former student Friedrich Tilegant. Soon the ensemble won international recognition: One talked of the "Tilegant-sound", which could not only be heard at the festivals in Salzburg, Lucerne and Leipzig as well as on world-wide tours, but which was also documented on numerous recordings. Maurice André, Dietrich Fischer-Diskau, Frans Brüggen and Yehudi Menuhin are only a few of the celebrity names who have worked with the Orchestra. After the Tilegant-era, which ended far too early after the premature death of its founder in 1968, the Orchestra was moulded by the Viennese Paul Angerer (1971-1981), Vladislav Czarnecki (1986-2002), who came from the Czech music tradition, and Sebastian Tewinkel (2002-2013). To shape and develop sound, style and program in the future Timo Handschuh has assumed the position of the orchestra's music director with beginning of the concert season 2013/14. On its road to success the South-west German Chamber Orchestra has made numerous broadcasts for almost all European radio stations and released nearly 250 records and CDs, many of which were awarded international prizes (Grand Prix du Disque, Monteverdi Prize, Prox Artur Honegger). Several premiere performances (Jean Françaix, Harald Genzmer, Enjott Schneider) prove its competence in contemporary music. Currently the Chamber Orchestra plays together with renowned soloists such as Gidon Kremer, Rudolf Buchbinder, Christian Tetzlaff, Sabine Meyer, Frank Peter Zimmermann, Mischa Maisky and Anatol Ugorski. Together with them - but also with up-and-coming young musicians - the Orchestra has been invited to perform in all European countries as well as in the USA and Japan. Ideas for new programmes beyond the traditional subscription concerts extend the ensemble's profile. In 2001, the South-west German Chamber Orchestra toured Europe's great concert halls with Giora Feidman and Facundo Ramirez, playing Klezmer and Argentinian folklore (Misa Criolla), and the ensemble continues to tread new paths with American violinist Monique Mead to win young audiences for classical music ("Classic for Kids"). The Orchestra recently recorded a newly composed score which was mixed with original soundtracks of the Comedian Harmonists and performs other projects of chamber opera, dance (Flamenco with Nina Corti) and marionette theatre.

T

he hallmark of the South-west German Chamber Orchestra Pforzheim is its fresh and gripping musical approach and stylistic diversity from early to contemporary music. The ensemble consists of fourteen musicians of seven different nationalities and is one of the few full-time chamber orchestras in Europe. This allows for exceptional richness and flexibility of sound, which is maintained even when the Orchestra is enlarged with further wind or string players. The ensemble was founded in 1950 by Paul Hindemith's former student Friedrich Tilegant. Soon the ensemble won international recognition: One talked of the "Tilegant-sound", which could not only be heard at the festivals in Salzburg, Lucerne and Leipzig as well as on world-wide tours, but which was also documented on numerous recordings. Maurice André, Dietrich Fischer-Diskau, Frans Brüggen and Yehudi Menuhin are only a few of the celebrity names who have worked with the Orchestra. After the Tilegant-era, which ended far too early after the premature death of its founder in 1968, the Orchestra was moulded by the Viennese Paul Angerer (1971-1981), Vladislav Czarnecki (1986-2002), who came from the Czech music tradition, and Sebastian Tewinkel (2002-2013).
To shape and develop sound, style and program in the future Timo Handschuh has assumed the position of the orchestra's music director with beginning of the concert season 2013/14. On its road to success the South-west German Chamber Orchestra has made numerous broadcasts for almost all European radio stations and released nearly 250 records and CDs, many of which were awarded international prizes (Grand Prix du Disque, Monteverdi Prize, Prox Artur Honegger). Several premiere performances (Jean Françaix, Harald Genzmer, Enjott Schneider) prove its competence in contemporary music. Currently the Chamber Orchestra plays together with renowned soloists such as Gidon Kremer, Rudolf Buchbinder, Christian Tetzlaff, Sabine Meyer, Frank Peter Zimmermann, Mischa Maisky and Anatol Ugorski. Together with them - but also with up-and-coming young musicians - the Orchestra has been invited to perform in all European countries as well as in the USA and Japan. Ideas for new programmes beyond the traditional subscription concerts extend the ensemble's profile. In 2001, the South-west German Chamber Orchestra toured Europe's great concert halls with Giora Feidman and Facundo Ramirez, playing Klezmer and Argentinian folklore (Misa Criolla), and the ensemble continues to tread new paths with American violinist Monique Mead to win young audiences for classical music ("Classic for Kids"). The Orchestra recently recorded a newly composed score which was mixed with original soundtracks of the Comedian Harmonists and performs other projects of chamber opera, dance (Flamenco with Nina Corti) and marionette theatre.

M

ichael Martin Kofler was born in Villach, Austria in 1966 and obtained a Flute Performance degree with distinction at the Vienna Musikhochschule under Werner Tripp and Wolfgang Schulz, as well as studying with Peter-Lukas Graf at the Basel Music Academy.In 1987 Sergiu Celibidache invited him to join the Münchner Philharmoniker as Principal Flute. He has been honored with many prizes at competitions (ARD, Brussels, Prague, among others) and was also the recipient of Cultural Endowment Prizes awarded by the Münchner Konzertgesellschaft and by the Austrian state of Carinthia, as well as receiving an honorary prize from the Austrian Ministry of Science and the Cultural Prize of his native city of Villach. Since 1983 Michael Martin Kofler has performed concertos, recitals and chamber music as a flute soloist throughout the world and has also been featured as a soloist and chamber ensemble member on DVD, CD and in recordings for radio and television. He regularly performs as a soloist with renowned orchestras such as the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields, the Australian Chamber Orchestra, the Budapest Strings, the Vienna and Munich Chamber Orchestra, and the Philharmonic and Symphony Orchestras of Munich, Prague, Moscow, Tokyo, Tel Aviv and Warsaw. He has performed as a soloist with conductors such as James Levine, Lorin Maazel, Sir Neville Marriner, Fabio Luisi, Herbert Blomstedt, Frans Brüggen, Ton Koopman and Jonathan Nott. His chamber music partners have included Paul Badura-Skoda, Irwin Gage, Stefan Vladar, Stephan Kiefer, Konrad Ragossnig, Xavier de Maistre, Regine Kofler, Martin Spangenberg, Benjamin Schmid, Clemens and Veronika Hagen as well as the Mandelring Quartet and the Mozart Quartett Salzburg. Since 1989, as a professor at the Mozarteum Salzburg Michael Martin Kofler has worked with considerable success with a solo performance master class, and has been invited to important international competitions as a jury member, as well as to teach master classes in Europe, Asia and America.

© by www.michaelkofler.de (Version: June 24, 2015). All rights reserved.

V

OX NOSTRA is a vocal ensemble based in Berlin, Germany, founded in 1999 by Burkard Wehner. Specialized in the performance of medieval music the main focus of the group is the interpretation of the earliest surviving compositions from the cultural centers of Europe. Sung from manuscripts originating in monasteries, cathedrals, and courts, this music is an acoustical insight into the archaic sound world of the Middle Ages.
The members of VOX NOSTRA have pursued extensive scholarship in the fields of musicology, medieval paleography, and theology. The music of VOX NOSTRA combines expressive musicality and academic curiosity. The repertoire includes Gregorian and pre-Gregorian chant and the specific liturgical music of the different medieval orders like Cistercians, Dominicans, Carthusians and Franciscans dating from the 10th to the 14th century. Furthermore VOX NOSTRA sings early 12th century polyphonic compositions from St. Martial (Aquitaine), compositions from the famous cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris (starting from 1200), Italian laude of the 13th century, and the richly polyphonic compositions of the Renaissance.
In addition to Early Music, Vox Nostra interprets contemporary music, devised and composed to experimenting with vocal color and microintervals. In both old and contemporary music performances VOX NOSTRA regularly collaborates with lighting designers, and other visual artists, in order to enrich the visual and theatrical aspects of the performance.
A special feature of the ensemble is the practice of singing scores researched from original manuscripts. The musical interpretation made by VOX NOSTRA has specific consequences on the old forms of notation, such as neumatic notation of the chorale, the modal notation of the Notre-Dame organa, and mensural notation. Which each employ a great number of symbols indicating that melodic ornamentation that should be sung. In order to give these features the emphasis they deserve, ensemble VOX NOSTRA favors a slow, flowing style of performance in an appropriately restrained tempo. The vocal sound which results is rich in overtones, and fills the entire space; it allows the archaic and pure intervals of this music to be fully appreciated, and ensures that the complex weaving of the individual voices is clearly audible. In addition to the original manuscripts, research and this interpretation of the music from the 12th-16th centuries also provides new information the regarding tempo, ornamentation and the practice of solo performance of the chants.
The music of VOX NOSTRA is best suited to a large space with a good acoustic and hence no amplification is required. Churches are of course suitable for the liturgically structured programs, yet more modern settings like galleries, or industrial sites also provide a provocative backdrop for the music. The unique acoustical situation of each concert location influences concert presentations, as well as the choreography of singers, hence time in each venue to work how the singers can move between various points in the room to integrate the acoustic properties of each site into the score.

A

my Green: Born in Alamo, California, U.S.A. 2001 Early Music Voice Degree, Staatliche Hochschule für Musik, Trossingen. 2001 Private study of medieval harp, with Judy Kadar, and, Arabic Music, with Farhan Sabbagh. Solo and ensemble singer in diverse contexts including: Member of ensembles Green/Sudmann (Contemporary Art Song), Elysium (Vocal ensemble. Recorded for Decca), Kusskuss (Early Baroque music), Teatro de Liezenbourg (Baroque Opera. Played lead Role of Procride in modern premier of Giovanni Bononcini´s opera Cefalo e Procride). Collaboration with Sarband, Ensemble Penalosa, Ordo Virtutum, Alta Musica, Friedrich Lichtenstein (Boccia Saal, Carmen Miranda Revue Pavillion, Park).

E

llen Hünigen studied composition and piano at the Music Conservatory Hanns Eisler Berlin from 1985 till 1989. Contemporary music courses (International Bartok Seminar in Szombathely, Hungary, 1989 composition prize at the Geraer Ferienkurse für zeitgenössische Musik. From 1989 to 1991 advanced studies in composition with Friedrich Goldmann at the Akademie der Künste in Berlin. Diverse composition stipendia. Since 1990, teacher for music theory and piano at various private and public schools as well as at the Music Conservatory Hanns Eisler. Her own music has been performed by various ensembles in Germany, Switzerland, Italy and USA. Member of the vocal ensemble Musikalischer Religionsdialog which aims to connect and to interweave music of Jewish, Catholic, Orthodox Christian, Byzantine and Muslim traditions. Since 2008 working on a dissertation on musical notation in Aquitanian music manuscripts of the 12th century.

S

usanne Wilsdorf: Study of musicology in Berlin. Awarded with a stipendium for study in Basel with Wulf Arlt. Study of voice at the Akademie für Alte Musik/Hochschule Bremen with Harry van der Kamp. Ensemble Singer: Collegium Vocale Gent, Las Huelgas Ensemble, Vocalconsort Berlin, Musica Fiata Köln, LauttenCompagney Berlin. Collaboration with Philipp Herreweghe, Rene Jacobs, Marcus Creed, Attilio Cremonesi. Concert touring in France, Israel, Luxembourg, USA, Syria, Sweden. Participation in diverse productions of Sasha Waltz & Guests (Dido and Aeneas, Medea- Dialoge 2006/2009).

W

erner Blau: Music and geography teacher in Berlin. Pedagogical and performance degree in piano under Thea Boue-Noack (Mainz). Private vocal instruction with Bettina Spreitz-Rundfeldt, Ralph Eschrig, Evelyn Tubb und Stephen Varcoe (Dartington Summer school). Solo and ensemble bass (focus Early Music). Pianist / accompanist of Lied repertoire of the 19th and 20th century.

B

urkard Wehner - Founder and music director of the ensemble Vox Nostra: Study of Medieval and Renaissance Vocal Music and musicology at the Brabant Conservatory in Tilburg, Holland. International master classes with Andrea von Ramm, Jill Feldman, Marcel Peres and Pedro Memelsdorff. Soloist at many international festivals in Poland, Holland, Austria, France, and Germany. Extensive musicological activity in the research of medieval source material. Teaches workshops and seminars on the interpretation and performance practice of medieval vocal music. Member of the advisory board for the exhibition 'The Council of Constance 1414-1418' in Constance from April to September 2014.

O

ver the years, the Rubin Quartet, founded in 1992 and named after the ruby, has gained a unique reputation among string quartets. Since its foundation, the quartet has been characterized by a very wide repertoire and vivid performances. In its first year, the Rubin Quartet won first prize at the Bubenreuth/Erlangen international string quartet competition, in 1997, the prize for best Mozart performance in Evian, and in 2000, first prize at the "R. Hartung Stiftung" international string quartet competition. The Rubin Quartet began performing at the Amsterdam Concertgebow in 1995. Since then, they have given regular performances there, with Ian Bostridge and Julius Drake among others. The quartet performs at Europe's leading concert venues and at a number of prestigious festivals, such as Luberon string quartet festival, Fréjus, Santander, Valladolid, Milan, Bremen Musikfest, Rheingau-Musikfestival, Schwetzinger Festspiele and the "Printemps des Arts de Monte-Carlo". In 1998, the quartet performed at the Dortmund "Streichquartett-Event". In 2000/2001 they were invited to perform at the Oslo Chamber Music Festival with the pianist Andrej Gavrilov. In 2002, the Rubin Quartet embarked on a long-term association with the Scène nationale in Poitiers, France. They performed Bela Bartók's six string quartets there in 2002/2003, building up from public rehearsals to master classes, performances and concerts. Composers such as Carola Bauckholt, Caspar Johannes Walter, Franz Olbrisch and Reinhard Febel regularly write works for the quartet, which premieres them at Festivals, such as the "Tage für zeitgenössische Kammermusik" in Witten, Wien Modern, the "Rheinisches Musikfest" and Musique-Action Vand'oeuvre-lès-Nancy. The Rubin Quartet's close association with composers such as Helmut Lachenmann, Györgi Kurtág, Silvia Fómina and Sofia Gubaïdulina has provided the quartet with tremendous artistic impetus, just as the encounter with Amadeus Quartet, Raphael Hillyer and Jörg Wolfgang Jahn.
Irmgard Zavelberg (1st Violin) · Jana Andraschke (2nd Violin)
Martina Horejsi (Viola) · Ulrike Zavelberg (Cello)

O

ver the years, the Rubin Quartet, founded in 1992 and named after the ruby, has gained a unique reputation among string quartets. Since its foundation, the quartet has been characterized by a very wide repertoire and vivid performances. In its first year, the Rubin Quartet won first prize at the Bubenreuth/Erlangen international string quartet competition, in 1997, the prize for best Mozart performance in Evian, and in 2000, first prize at the "R. Hartung Stiftung" international string quartet competition. The Rubin Quartet began performing at the Amsterdam Concertgebow in 1995. Since then, they have given regular performances there, with Ian Bostridge and Julius Drake among others. The quartet performs at Europe's leading concert venues and at a number of prestigious festivals, such as Luberon string quartet festival, Fréjus, Santander, Valladolid, Milan, Bremen Musikfest, Rheingau-Musikfestival, Schwetzinger Festspiele and the "Printemps des Arts de Monte-Carlo". In 1998, the quartet performed at the Dortmund "Streichquartett-Event". In 2000/2001 they were invited to perform at the Oslo Chamber Music Festival with the pianist Andrej Gavrilov. In 2002, the Rubin Quartet embarked on a long-term association with the Scène nationale in Poitiers, France. They performed Bela Bartók's six string quartets there in 2002/2003, building up from public rehearsals to master classes, performances and concerts. Composers such as Carola Bauckholt, Caspar Johannes Walter, Franz Olbrisch and Reinhard Febel regularly write works for the quartet, which premieres them at Festivals, such as the "Tage für zeitgenössische Kammermusik" in Witten, Wien Modern, the "Rheinisches Musikfest" and Musique-Action Vand'oeuvre-lès-Nancy. The Rubin Quartet's close association with composers such as Helmut Lachenmann, Györgi Kurtág, Silvia Fómina and Sofia Gubaïdulina has provided the quartet with tremendous artistic impetus, just as the encounter with Amadeus Quartet, Raphael Hillyer and Jörg Wolfgang Jahn.
Irmgard Zavelberg (1st Violin) · Jana Andraschke (2nd Violin)
Martina Horejsi (Viola) · Ulrike Zavelberg (Cello)

O

ver the years, the Rubin Quartet, founded in 1992 and named after the ruby, has gained a unique reputation among string quartets. Since its foundation, the quartet has been characterized by a very wide repertoire and vivid performances. In its first year, the Rubin Quartet won first prize at the Bubenreuth/Erlangen international string quartet competition, in 1997, the prize for best Mozart performance in Evian, and in 2000, first prize at the "R. Hartung Stiftung" international string quartet competition. The Rubin Quartet began performing at the Amsterdam Concertgebow in 1995. Since then, they have given regular performances there, with Ian Bostridge and Julius Drake among others. The quartet performs at Europe's leading concert venues and at a number of prestigious festivals, such as Luberon string quartet festival, Fréjus, Santander, Valladolid, Milan, Bremen Musikfest, Rheingau-Musikfestival, Schwetzinger Festspiele and the "Printemps des Arts de Monte-Carlo". In 1998, the quartet performed at the Dortmund "Streichquartett-Event". In 2000/2001 they were invited to perform at the Oslo Chamber Music Festival with the pianist Andrej Gavrilov. In 2002, the Rubin Quartet embarked on a long-term association with the Scène nationale in Poitiers, France. They performed Bela Bartók's six string quartets there in 2002/2003, building up from public rehearsals to master classes, performances and concerts. Composers such as Carola Bauckholt, Caspar Johannes Walter, Franz Olbrisch and Reinhard Febel regularly write works for the quartet, which premieres them at Festivals, such as the "Tage für zeitgenössische Kammermusik" in Witten, Wien Modern, the "Rheinisches Musikfest" and Musique-Action Vand'oeuvre-lès-Nancy. The Rubin Quartet's close association with composers such as Helmut Lachenmann, Györgi Kurtág, Silvia Fómina and Sofia Gubaïdulina has provided the quartet with tremendous artistic impetus, just as the encounter with Amadeus Quartet, Raphael Hillyer and Jörg Wolfgang Jahn.
Irmgard Zavelberg (1st Violin) · Jana Andraschke (2nd Violin)
Martina Horejsi (Viola) · Ulrike Zavelberg (Cello)

O

ver the years, the Rubin Quartet, founded in 1992 and named after the ruby, has gained a unique reputation among string quartets. Since its foundation, the quartet has been characterized by a very wide repertoire and vivid performances. In its first year, the Rubin Quartet won first prize at the Bubenreuth/Erlangen international string quartet competition, in 1997, the prize for best Mozart performance in Evian, and in 2000, first prize at the "R. Hartung Stiftung" international string quartet competition. The Rubin Quartet began performing at the Amsterdam Concertgebow in 1995. Since then, they have given regular performances there, with Ian Bostridge and Julius Drake among others. The quartet performs at Europe's leading concert venues and at a number of prestigious festivals, such as Luberon string quartet festival, Fréjus, Santander, Valladolid, Milan, Bremen Musikfest, Rheingau-Musikfestival, Schwetzinger Festspiele and the "Printemps des Arts de Monte-Carlo". In 1998, the quartet performed at the Dortmund "Streichquartett-Event". In 2000/2001 they were invited to perform at the Oslo Chamber Music Festival with the pianist Andrej Gavrilov. In 2002, the Rubin Quartet embarked on a long-term association with the Scène nationale in Poitiers, France. They performed Bela Bartók's six string quartets there in 2002/2003, building up from public rehearsals to master classes, performances and concerts. Composers such as Carola Bauckholt, Caspar Johannes Walter, Franz Olbrisch and Reinhard Febel regularly write works for the quartet, which premieres them at Festivals, such as the "Tage für zeitgenössische Kammermusik" in Witten, Wien Modern, the "Rheinisches Musikfest" and Musique-Action Vand'oeuvre-lès-Nancy. The Rubin Quartet's close association with composers such as Helmut Lachenmann, Györgi Kurtág, Silvia Fómina and Sofia Gubaïdulina has provided the quartet with tremendous artistic impetus, just as the encounter with Amadeus Quartet, Raphael Hillyer and Jörg Wolfgang Jahn.

T

he pianist Christoph Soldan (born 1964) studied under the Professors Eliza Hansen and Christoph Eschenbach at the Hamburg Musikhochschule. His break-through to active international concert playing came in a tour with Leonard Bernstein in summer 1989. Of Christoph Soldan, the world-famous director said, "I am impressed by the soulful size of this young musician." Since then, Soldan has played in numerous tours with renowned orchestras across Europe and abroad. In particular, this can be seen in the CD recordings of all of Mozart's piano concertos, which were performed and recorded from 1996 until 2006. A tour of piano evenings took place in Mexico and other countries in Central America in October 1997. In August 1998 he debuted in Salzburg and in the Chamber Music Hall of the Berlin Philharmonic, and in May 1999 in the Leipzig Gewandhaus. In March 2000, there were three piano evenings in Japan. So far, there have been radio and television productions with the Hessische Rundfunk, Deutschlandfunk, SWR, ORF and ZDF. The Bayerische Rundfunk broadcasted his piano evening in the Munich Residenz in October 1998 and his concert in the Bad Brückenau music festival live in 1999. Radio Bremen braodcasted his recital in Bremen in august 2002. Starting in 1996 Soldan was performing all 27 piano concertos by Mozart together with the slovakian chamber orchestra Cappella Istropolitana, the South-West German Chamber Orchestra of Pforzheim and the Silesian Chamber Orchestra Katowice. This cycle of concerts ended in January 2006, performing the concertos for 2 and 3 pianos. Christoph Soldan developed a "pas de deux for piano and Dance", together with his wife, the dancer and choreographer Stefanie Goes. The première took place in Stuttgart in May 2000. In Spring 2001 he participated the Prague Spring Festival accompanied by the slovakian chamber orchestra "Cappella Istropolitana". Two recitals in Hamburg and Berlin were followed by a live-recording of two Mozart piano concertos in the medieval monastery of Maulbronn in september 2002. In January 2004 the première of the new dance project "something about humans and angels" took place in Stuttgart followed by a concert-tour to South Africa. Since 2007 Soldan is working also as a conductor concerning the performances of piano concertos by Bach and Mozart. In the 2015/2016 season, Christoph Soldan will be guesting in Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, Slovakia and the United States with various programmes such as recitals, literary concerts, childrens concerts, as soloist with 5 of Mozart's piano-concertos as well as in chamber music programmes with Brahm's piano quintet op. 34. Since 1994 Christoph Soldan was artistic director of the "Schubertiade auf Schloß Eyb". In 2007, together with his wife, Soldan founded a theatre in the north of Baden-Württemberg between Stuttgart and Heidelberg, where all artistic programmes are taking place since then. The German press describes Christoph Soldan as an artist personality who works with the spiritual intensity and soulful dimension of a piece of music, rather than giving a purely technical virtuoso performance. This challenge to music and to himself is rarely seen today.

T

he Silesian Chamber Soloists are the section leaders oft he Silesian Philharmonic Orchestra in Katowice (Śląska Orkiestra Kameralna). All of them are outstanding soloists, who studied on several Music-Universities in Poland and Germany. In 1993 the ensemble has been founded as a quartett first and was enlarged later by an additional doublebass position. The high level of artistic performance made the quintet to the leading chamber ensemble in Silesia. Concert tours have been organized to various festivals within Poland and other European countries. The Silesian Chamber Soloists performed with great success in the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, MDR Musiksommer und im Rheingau Musik Festival. Cooperations were made with outstanding conductors and soloists, such as Krzysztof Penderecki, Yehudi Menuhin, Valery Gergiev, Christoph Eschenbach, Justus Frantz, Pinchas Zuckerman, Maxim Vengerov, Mscislav Rostropovich and Christoph Soldan. One special feature does result from the fact, that the concertmaster of the ensemble, Dariusz Zboch, is not only a very gifted violinist but at the same time arranging pieces of music. His last work has been published on two CD productions, a cycle of arrangements of the solid goal hits from the 60th and 70th concerning the songs of Procol Harum, Queen, Pink Floyd, Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Abba oder Deep Purple. This true "cross-over-project" is combining popular music with works of the classical repertoire. In 2015 und 2016 there are 5 concert tours, that take place together with the german conductor and pianist Christoph Soldan throughout several european contries. As repertoire there will be performed 4 piano concertos by Mozart, Schubert´s trout-quintett, Brahm´s piano-quintett opus 34 und Chopin´s piano-concerto in e-minor.
Dariusz Zboch (Violin) · Jakub Łysik (Violin) · Jarosław Marzec (Viola)
Katarzyna Biedrowska (Cello) · Krzysztof Korzeń (Double Bass)

B

orn in Graz (Austria), Franz Vorraber has been fascinated by the piano since his early childhood. At the age of seven, he played the organ in church standing up - as he could hardly reach the pedals. At the age of thirteen, he was admitted to the piano class for exceptional students at the Music Conservatory in Graz, also learning the violin. The Viennese School in the tradition of Bruno Seidlhofer and the traditional German school of Wilhelm Kempff, handed down by Joachim Volkmann, dominated his study years. He has won many prizes for his skills on the piano. Here, just some of the awarders: the Austrian Culture Minister, the piano manufacturers Bösendorfer in Vienna and the city of Graz. He also won the Joachim Erhard prize. He completed his studies in Frankfurt and Graz receiving unanimously the highest awards. His greatest project has been the cyclical performance of Robert Schumann's complete piano works in a total of twelve evenings in different cities in Europe and Japan. The press and the public have repeatedly acclaimed him as one of the most important interpreters of Schumann in our times. He has recorded these works on a series of thirteen CDs for which he was awarded Austrian Broadcasting's Pasticcio prize in 2006. Despite all these prizes, other criteria are pivotal in Franz Vorraber's concerts: his enormous expressive force as a musician and his ability to expose the essential core of the music fascinate his public. He leaves his listeners emotionally moved. Since his debut in Tokyo at the age of 19, he has received many invitations to almost all the European countries, America and Japan, where he also holds master classes.

R

olf Plagge and Wolfgang Manz came to prominence after their remarkable successes at international piano competitions such as Leeds, Brussels, Warsaw and Moscow where they won major prizes. Today they belong to the most distinguished pianists of their generation. Both have completed their studies at the renowned "Hochschule für Musik und Theater" in Hanover; both have received many rewards and various scholarships.
Apart from their extensive activities as soloists in Germany and abroad, Rolf Plagge and Wolfgang Manz formed a piano duet in 1988 called Duo "Reine Elisabeth", in commemoration to the world-famous piano competition "Concours Reine Elisabeth" in Brussels, Belgium, in which their successful participation in 1983 and 1987 launched their international careers.
The DUO has performed in several European countries as well as in Middle and South America (Chile, Mexico). Both pianists have played together with famous conductors like Bernhard Klee, Pierre Bartholomée, Christian Kluttig, Frank Beermann and others.
There is a large repertoire available reaching from the baroque style to the classic, romantic and modern eras. Apart from classical and romantic programmes both pianists also feature works of contemporary composers such as Volker Blumenthaler, Richard Heller, Karl Thieme, Frédéric van Rossum, Daniel Capelletti or Piet Swerts. A special achievement of the DUO is the performance of rare transcriptions of well-known orchestral works and ballets: Igor Stravinsky's "Petrushka", "Le Sacre du Printemps", Franz Liszt's version of the Ninth Symphony of Beethoven for 2 pianos, Aram Chatchaturjan's ballets "Gayaneh" and "Spartak" or the Piano Concerto-Fantasy on Chinese Folk Tales by Alexander Tcherepnin. In the opera houses in Leipzig and Karlsruhe the "Sacre" has been performed by the DUO over twenty times in different choreographies (Uwe Scholz, Davide Bombana).
Both pianists are teaching as professors at famous music universities. Rolf Plagge is chairman of all juries and boards for pedagogic piano studies at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Wolfgang Manz is member of the senate and head of the keyboard section at the Nürnberg University of Music.
Several CDs have so far been produced. Besides works of Sergej Rachmaninov, Dimitri Schostakowitsch and Alexander Scriabine, the EMS CD ("Russian Music I") presents an adaptation for two pianos of Igor Stravinsky's ballet "Petrushka" as complete version of all four scenes created by the DUO.

R

olf Plagge and Wolfgang Manz came to prominence after their remarkable successes at international piano competitions such as Leeds, Brussels, Warsaw and Moscow where they won major prizes. Today they belong to the most distinguished pianists of their generation. Both have completed their studies at the renowned "Hochschule für Musik und Theater" in Hanover; both have received many rewards and various scholarships.
Apart from their extensive activities as soloists in Germany and abroad, Rolf Plagge and Wolfgang Manz formed a piano duet in 1988 called Duo "Reine Elisabeth", in commemoration to the world-famous piano competition "Concours Reine Elisabeth" in Brussels, Belgium, in which their successful participation in 1983 and 1987 launched their international careers.
The DUO has performed in several European countries as well as in Middle and South America (Chile, Mexico). Both pianists have played together with famous conductors like Bernhard Klee, Pierre Bartholomée, Christian Kluttig, Frank Beermann and others.
There is a large repertoire available reaching from the baroque style to the classic, romantic and modern eras. Apart from classical and romantic programmes both pianists also feature works of contemporary composers such as Volker Blumenthaler, Richard Heller, Karl Thieme, Frédéric van Rossum, Daniel Capelletti or Piet Swerts. A special achievement of the DUO is the performance of rare transcriptions of well-known orchestral works and ballets: Igor Stravinsky's "Petrushka", "Le Sacre du Printemps", Franz Liszt's version of the Ninth Symphony of Beethoven for 2 pianos, Aram Chatchaturjan's ballets "Gayaneh" and "Spartak" or the Piano Concerto-Fantasy on Chinese Folk Tales by Alexander Tcherepnin. In the opera houses in Leipzig and Karlsruhe the "Sacre" has been performed by the DUO over twenty times in different choreographies (Uwe Scholz, Davide Bombana).
Both pianists are teaching as professors at famous music universities. Rolf Plagge is chairman of all juries and boards for pedagogic piano studies at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Wolfgang Manz is member of the senate and head of the keyboard section at the Nürnberg University of Music.
Several CDs have so far been produced. Besides works of Sergej Rachmaninov, Dimitri Schostakowitsch and Alexander Scriabine, the EMS CD ("Russian Music I") presents an adaptation for two pianos of Igor Stravinsky's ballet "Petrushka" as complete version of all four scenes created by the DUO.

R

olf Plagge and Wolfgang Manz came to prominence after their remarkable successes at international piano competitions such as Leeds, Brussels, Warsaw and Moscow where they won major prizes. Today they belong to the most distinguished pianists of their generation. Both have completed their studies at the renowned "Hochschule für Musik und Theater" in Hanover; both have received many rewards and various scholarships.
Apart from their extensive activities as soloists in Germany and abroad, Rolf Plagge and Wolfgang Manz formed a piano duet in 1988 called Duo "Reine Elisabeth", in commemoration to the world-famous piano competition "Concours Reine Elisabeth" in Brussels, Belgium, in which their successful participation in 1983 and 1987 launched their international careers.
The DUO has performed in several European countries as well as in Middle and South America (Chile, Mexico). Both pianists have played together with famous conductors like Bernhard Klee, Pierre Bartholomée, Christian Kluttig, Frank Beermann and others.
There is a large repertoire available reaching from the baroque style to the classic, romantic and modern eras. Apart from classical and romantic programmes both pianists also feature works of contemporary composers such as Volker Blumenthaler, Richard Heller, Karl Thieme, Frédéric van Rossum, Daniel Capelletti or Piet Swerts. A special achievement of the DUO is the performance of rare transcriptions of well-known orchestral works and ballets: Igor Stravinsky's "Petrushka", "Le Sacre du Printemps", Franz Liszt's version of the Ninth Symphony of Beethoven for 2 pianos, Aram Chatchaturjan's ballets "Gayaneh" and "Spartak" or the Piano Concerto-Fantasy on Chinese Folk Tales by Alexander Tcherepnin. In the opera houses in Leipzig and Karlsruhe the "Sacre" has been performed by the DUO over twenty times in different choreographies (Uwe Scholz, Davide Bombana).
Both pianists are teaching as professors at famous music universities. Rolf Plagge is chairman of all juries and boards for pedagogic piano studies at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Wolfgang Manz is member of the senate and head of the keyboard section at the Nürnberg University of Music.
Several CDs have so far been produced. Besides works of Sergej Rachmaninov, Dimitri Schostakowitsch and Alexander Scriabine, the EMS CD ("Russian Music I") presents an adaptation for two pianos of Igor Stravinsky's ballet "Petrushka" as complete version of all four scenes created by the DUO.

B

orn in Graz (Austria), Franz Vorraber has been fascinated by the piano since his early childhood. At the age of seven, he played the organ in church standing up - as he could hardly reach the pedals. At the age of thirteen, he was admitted to the piano class for exceptional students at the Music Conservatory in Graz, also learning the violin. The Viennese School in the tradition of Bruno Seidlhofer and the traditional German school of Wilhelm Kempff, handed down by Joachim Volkmann, dominated his study years. He has won many prizes for his skills on the piano. Here, just some of the awarders: the Austrian Culture Minister, the piano manufacturers Bösendorfer in Vienna and the city of Graz. He also won the Joachim Erhard prize. He completed his studies in Frankfurt and Graz receiving unanimously the highest awards. His greatest project has been the cyclical performance of Robert Schumann's complete piano works in a total of twelve evenings in different cities in Europe and Japan. The press and the public have repeatedly acclaimed him as one of the most important interpreters of Schumann in our times. He has recorded these works on a series of thirteen CDs for which he was awarded Austrian Broadcasting's Pasticcio prize in 2006. Despite all these prizes, other criteria are pivotal in Franz Vorraber's concerts: his enormous expressive force as a musician and his ability to expose the essential core of the music fascinate his public. He leaves his listeners emotionally moved. Since his debut in Tokyo at the age of 19, he has received many invitations to almost all the European countries, America and Japan, where he also holds master classes.

T

he Mainz Chamber Orchestra had been founded in 1955 by Prof. Dr. Günter Kehr, who was leading it until his death in 1989. About 40 to 50 concerts were given all over the world every year and 130 LPs and CDs were produced, including numerous broadcast recordings. The musical performance of Günther Kehr had a great influence and set standards for his period. Feeling deeply obliged to this tradition, every musician within the orchestra was entrusted with challenging musical tasks, leading to the assemblage of many adepted soloists. Often, the interpretation of a piece is developed by the musicians themselves under the direction of a concertmaster. The musicians are generally not full-time members of a symphony orchestra, but rather members of chamber music associations. This allows the rehearsals being focused on working on specific chamber musically oriented problems. In doing so, a special kind of colleagueship accrued that shows itself in spontaneous, joyful musical interplay. About 20 CDs recorded in the last few years testify the orchestra’s exceptional standard. After Günther Kehr‘s death violinist Volker Müller honorarily resumed the musical conductorship of the Mainz Chamber Orchestra. Together with his wife, the flutist Renate Kehr, he preserves the artistic heritage of the orchestra and guides it towards new developments.

T

he Mainz Chamber Orchestra had been founded in 1955 by Prof. Dr. Günter Kehr, who was leading it until his death in 1989. About 40 to 50 concerts were given all over the world every year and 130 LPs and CDs were produced, including numerous broadcast recordings. The musical performance of Günther Kehr had a great influence and set standards for his period. Feeling deeply obliged to this tradition, every musician within the orchestra was entrusted with challenging musical tasks, leading to the assemblage of many adepted soloists. Often, the interpretation of a piece is developed by the musicians themselves under the direction of a concertmaster. The musicians are generally not full-time members of a symphony orchestra, but rather members of chamber music associations. This allows the rehearsals being focused on working on specific chamber musically oriented problems. In doing so, a special kind of colleagueship accrued that shows itself in spontaneous, joyful musical interplay. About 20 CDs recorded in the last few years testify the orchestra’s exceptional standard. After Günther Kehr‘s death violinist Volker Müller honorarily resumed the musical conductorship of the Mainz Chamber Orchestra. Together with his wife, the flutist Renate Kehr, he preserves the artistic heritage of the orchestra and guides it towards new developments.

T

he Mainz Chamber Orchestra had been founded in 1955 by Prof. Dr. Günter Kehr, who was leading it until his death in 1989. About 40 to 50 concerts were given all over the world every year and 130 LPs and CDs were produced, including numerous broadcast recordings. The musical performance of Günther Kehr had a great influence and set standards for his period. Feeling deeply obliged to this tradition, every musician within the orchestra was entrusted with challenging musical tasks, leading to the assemblage of many adepted soloists. Often, the interpretation of a piece is developed by the musicians themselves under the direction of a concertmaster. The musicians are generally not full-time members of a symphony orchestra, but rather members of chamber music associations. This allows the rehearsals being focused on working on specific chamber musically oriented problems. In doing so, a special kind of colleagueship accrued that shows itself in spontaneous, joyful musical interplay. About 20 CDs recorded in the last few years testify the orchestra’s exceptional standard. After Günther Kehr‘s death violinist Volker Müller honorarily resumed the musical conductorship of the Mainz Chamber Orchestra. Together with his wife, the flutist Renate Kehr, he preserves the artistic heritage of the orchestra and guides it towards new developments.