Gürzenich Quartet

“A String Quartet with sophisticated and cultured playing” and “everything you could possibly wish for”. These quotes represent just some of the critical acclaim for the Gürzenich Quartet.

Like many of the world’s most celebrated orchestras, such as the Berlin Philharmonic and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, the Gürzenich-Orchestra has always had its own string quartet lead by the orchestra's leader. The Gürzenich Quartet has had an active presence from as far back as 1888.

For over a century, the Gürzenich Quartet has built a distinguished international reputation through excellent standards set by such musicians as Friedrich Grützmacher, Emanuel Feuermann und Bram Eldering.

The current quartet is renowned for its extraordinarily disciplined ensemble playing and impresses audiences and critics alike with absolute mastery. Each member of the quartet (Torsten Janicke, Rose Kaufmann, Mechthild Sommer and Joachim Griesheimer) has received numerous international prizes and awards as soloists. Members of the quartet has recorded works by Johann Evangelist Brandl and Alexander Zemlinsky for the MDG and EMI labels, released in 2002 and 2003 to great critical acclaim. Their repertoire is diverse and covers all styles. They are regular guest performers in Germany’s leading music festivals, major cities and greatest concert halls including the Philharmonic Halls in Cologne and Essen and the Frauenkirche in Dresden.

After his studies with Prof. Heinz Rudolph and Prof. Gustav Schmahl at the Dresdner Musikhochschule Torsten Janicke became first concertmaster at the Rundfunk Sinfonie Orchester Leipzig and at the Essen Philhamonisches Orchester. Being the winner of several international competitions he then began his work in 1991 in the same position at the Gürzenich Orchester. He is regularly engaged in solo concerts in Germany and many other foreign countries. Torsten Janicke leads the Gürzenich Kammerorchester and other chamber music ensembles. „ebs“ has produced a CD with the Strauss violin concerto and the sonata for violin and piano in 1999.

Still being in school Rose Kaufmann already performed solo concerts by Alfred Schmittke, Aram Chatschaturian and others. She studied violin at the Kölner Musikhochschule with Prof. Gorian Kosuta and chamber music with the Amadeus Quartett. After having worked at the Chamber Orchestra of Europe for two years she began to play for the Gürzenich Orchester in 1987. In addition to this she ist concertmaster of the Aachener Kammerorchester and lecturer at the Kölner Musikhochschule.

Mechthild Sommer played regularly with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe where she worked with such artists as Cladio Abbado ,Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Sandor Vegh. She is also a regular guest with the Ensemble Modern and can often be seen as guest principal viola with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie, Bremen. She won several international competitions and has performed all over the world, both as a soloist and chamber musician often including radio and TV productions. As an established pedagogue, Mechthild is in demand all over the world, for example the Conservatore Simon Bolivar in Caracas (Venezuela) and the Indiana University School of Music in Bloomington, USA.

Gerhard Mantel, Angelica May and Johannes Goritzki in Frankfurt and Düsseldorf educated Joachim Griesheimer. Ever since his cello studies he has strongly committed himself to chamber music. Being a member of the Grüneberg Klaviertrio he has been supported by the Odeon Trio, Haydn Trio and Beaux Arts Trio and has been awarded on international level. Numorous concerts and broadcastings in Germany and other countries followed. Since 1989 Joachim Griesheimer works as deputy solo cellist in the Gürzenich Orchester.

CONCERTBÜRO

Marita Cramer

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