Primarius Nanospice

The Juilliard String Quartet was one of the pioneering string quartet formations of the 20th century. Virtuosity in playing technique, sovereign creative power and precisely coordinated tonal balance with X-ray-quality intonation purity characterized the playing of the New York formation around founder and primarius Robert Mann. Indulging in tonal beauty was not their priority. In this way, they moved somewhat outside of what was customary in Central Europe at the time. Their complete recordings for the RCA label, for which they recorded in the short period from 1957 to 1960, appear for the first time bundled on 11 CDs.

Es wurde 1939 zunächst unter dem Namen Sudetendeutsches Quartett gegründet, später in Prager Streichquartett umbenannt. Es bestand aus Mitgliedern der Deutschen Philharmonie in Prag (1939–1945), die auf Befehl von Joseph Goebbels gegründet worden war. 1947 nahm es den Namen Koeckert-Quartett an, nach seinem 1. Violinisten Rudolf Koeckert (1913–2005). Seit 1949 residierte das Quartett in München, und die Mitglieder waren Solisten des Symphonieorchesters des Bayerischen Rundfunks.

With their recording of Dmitri Shostakovich's complete string quartets, the Quatuor Danel has crafted an impressive opus that delves into the composer's life with deep musical understanding and establishes unparalleled standards in interpreting his chamber music. These new live recordings, stemming from their 2022 residency at the Mendelssohn Hall of the Gewandhaus Leipzig, capture the full spectrum of emotions embedded in Shostakovich’s quartet cycle, from the ethereal to the profound, from the whimsical to the contemplative. With their interpretation of this extraordinary cycle, the Quatuor Danel has forged a distinctive Shostakovich style that cannot be found in any other quartet. Primarius Marc Danel reflects on the resonance with the audience in Leipzig, describing it as nothing short of sensational. “I hope the recordings will also convey the collective spirit we permanently felt during our residency in the Mendelssohn Hall."

Bettina Kriegbaum wurde als fünfzehnjährige in die Vorschule der Musikhochschule Stuttgart aufgenommen und absolvierte ihr Violinstudium bei Professor Will Beh. Während des anschließenden künstlerischen Aufbaustudiums und der Künstlerreife wurde sie vom Primarius des Melos-Quartett, Professor Wilhelm Melcher, betreut. In dieser Zeit gründete sie das Rubino Streichquartett, mit dem sie mehrere Jahre im In- und Ausland konzertierte. Darüber hinaus besuchte sie Meisterkurse, unter anderem bei Leonard Bernstein, Henryk Szeryng und Rainer Kußmaul. Auch heute noch ist Bettina Kriegbaum der Kammermusik sehr verbunden und musiziert in verschiedenen Orchestern und Ensembles.

"The fourth installment of our Ferdinand Ries Edition with the Schuppanzigh Quartet presents two selected works that underscore the composer's great importance! Throughout his life, Ries, a student of Beethoven, was preoccupied with the composition of string quartets and quintets. The C major String Quintet op. 37 was composed in 1809 and dedicated to the violinist Ignaz Schuppanzigh, who had made a name for himself in Vienna as the primarius of the "Schuppanzigh Quartet" which he had founded. In Ries's quintet, what is special and new about the opening of the movement is that the theme itself, introduced at the beginning, first leads to the home key, rather than beginning or standing stably in it. It is also striking that the opening theme is not introduced by one instrument alone.