Anna Katharina Kränzlein
Encyclopedia
Anna Katharina Kränzlein, also known as Anna Katharina, (born 7 November 1980 in Fürstenfeldbruck
, Germany
) is a German violin
ist. She is most known for her quick and varied technique. She is the youngest founding member of Medieval folk rock
band Schandmaul
.
near Munich and made first musical experiences aged five when she autodidactically
learned to play the recorder
. Within the next ten years she expanded her repertoire with the western concert flute
whereby she won the Bavarian state level awards of Jugend musiziert
two times.
At age eight she received her first violin lesson by Simone Burger-Michielsen, who kindled Kränzlein's love for classical music. From age twelve on, she played with the newly founded Puchheim Youth Chamber Orchestra and was concertmaster
under Peter Michielsen from 1997 on who also used to be her violin teacher for several years. Concert tours with this orchester led her to Hungary
, Italy
, Denmark
, Belgium
, the Netherlands
and Japan
. Later she played violin and viola
with the Bavarian State Youth Orchestra.
She is an eightfold winner of the German national Jugend musiziert prize, for solo violin and ensembles. Aged 14 she also learned to play piano because this is the requirement to study violin at musical schools in Germany. Her teacher was the mother of later Schandmaul guitarist Martin Duckstein.
In the spring of 1988 her band Schandmaul would gather for the first time. Originally the project had only been planned for a single concert but the great request for CDs during their performance in Gröbenzell
made them continue the band. Their recordings sold more than 300,000 items. The last album Anderswelt
peaked at rank 8 of the German charts and their tours saw sold-out venues in Germany, Switzerland
, Austria
and the Benelux
states.
Kränzlein came across the hurdy gurdy in 2000 when she met hurd gurdy maker Karl Riedl and built an instrument with him for her specialised course in music at school. Since the second Schandmaul album, she plays the hurdy gurdy with the band, since the fourth album she also participates in texting and composing and with the fifth album she also contributed viola parts. From 1998 to 2000 Kränzlein read music at the Munich Conservatory with Urs Stieler. In 2001 she moved to the Saar University of Music at Saarbrücken
where she studied with Ulrike Dierick. There she played with the University Orchestra under Max Pommer and violinist virtuoso
and conductor Maxim Vengerov
. In 2003 Kränzlein enrolled at the Würzburg University of Music, joining the class of Max Speermann, where she graduated with in 2006. Since 2001 she moreover takes lessons in classical song.
In 2007 she published Neuland (lit.: new territory) the first album in a solo career that had been in planning before. It features a mix of five classical pieces and four own compositions that were recorded with violin, viola and also hurdy gurdy. Another two tracks were her debut as a classical singer. Guest musicians include bassist Matthias Richter (Schandmaul, Weto) and drummer Curt Cress (Tina Turner
, Queen
, Falco
). Anna Kränzlein went on tour with Letzte Instanz
in February 2008 and also performs solo as Anna Katharina.
Fürstenfeldbruck
Fürstenfeldbruck is a town in Bavaria, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Fürstenfeldbruck. it has a population of 35,494. Since the 1930s, Fürstenfeldbruck has had an air force base....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
) is a German violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist. She is most known for her quick and varied technique. She is the youngest founding member of Medieval folk rock
Medieval folk rock
Medieval folk rock, medieval rock or medieval folk is a musical sub-genre that emerged in the early 1970s in England and Germany which combined elements of early music with rock music. It grew out of the electric folk and progressive folk movements of the later 1960s...
band Schandmaul
Schandmaul
Schandmaul is a German medieval folk rock band from the vicinity of Munich.As well as using modern instruments like the bass or electric guitar, the band utilizes instruments typically used in Medieval folk songs, such as the bagpipes, hurdy-gurdy or shawm, to produce their trademark folk rock...
.
Biography
Kränzlein lives in PuchheimPuchheim
Puchheim is a city near Munich in the district of Fürstenfeldbruck, in Bavaria, Germany. It has about 20,000 inhabitants, and is located at .Puchheim is divided into two parts: the old and rural part called Puchheim-Ort and the new part of Puchheim that was founded when the S-Bahn was built....
near Munich and made first musical experiences aged five when she autodidactically
Autodidacticism
Autodidacticism is self-education or self-directed learning. In a sense, autodidacticism is "learning on your own" or "by yourself", and an autodidact is a person who teaches him or herself something. The term has its roots in the Ancient Greek words αὐτός and διδακτικός...
learned to play the recorder
Recorder
The recorder is a woodwind musical instrument of the family known as fipple flutes or internal duct flutes—whistle-like instruments which include the tin whistle. The recorder is end-blown and the mouth of the instrument is constricted by a wooden plug, known as a block or fipple...
. Within the next ten years she expanded her repertoire with the western concert flute
Western concert flute
The Western concert flute is a transverse woodwind instrument made of metal or wood. It is the most common variant of the flute. A musician who plays the flute is called a flautist, flutist, or flute player....
whereby she won the Bavarian state level awards of Jugend musiziert
Jugend musiziert
thumb|German stamp: 25 years of "Jugend musiziert"Jugend musiziert is a music competition for children and adolescents in Germany on regional, federal and national level.-Jugend musiziert in Germany:...
two times.
At age eight she received her first violin lesson by Simone Burger-Michielsen, who kindled Kränzlein's love for classical music. From age twelve on, she played with the newly founded Puchheim Youth Chamber Orchestra and was concertmaster
Concertmaster
The concertmaster/mistress is the spalla or leader, of the first violin section of an orchestra. In the UK, the term commonly used is leader...
under Peter Michielsen from 1997 on who also used to be her violin teacher for several years. Concert tours with this orchester led her to Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Later she played violin and viola
Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
with the Bavarian State Youth Orchestra.
She is an eightfold winner of the German national Jugend musiziert prize, for solo violin and ensembles. Aged 14 she also learned to play piano because this is the requirement to study violin at musical schools in Germany. Her teacher was the mother of later Schandmaul guitarist Martin Duckstein.
In the spring of 1988 her band Schandmaul would gather for the first time. Originally the project had only been planned for a single concert but the great request for CDs during their performance in Gröbenzell
Gröbenzell
Gröbenzell is a municipality near Munich in the district Fürstenfeldbruck, in Bavaria, Germany. It was founded in 1952, and has a population of 19,202...
made them continue the band. Their recordings sold more than 300,000 items. The last album Anderswelt
Anderswelt
-Personnel:Benni Cellini of Letzte Instanz appears as guest musician on "Krieger", "Königin", "Die Braut", "Augen auf!" and "Prinzessin"....
peaked at rank 8 of the German charts and their tours saw sold-out venues in Germany, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and the Benelux
Benelux
The Benelux is an economic union in Western Europe comprising three neighbouring countries, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. These countries are located in northwestern Europe between France and Germany...
states.
Kränzlein came across the hurdy gurdy in 2000 when she met hurd gurdy maker Karl Riedl and built an instrument with him for her specialised course in music at school. Since the second Schandmaul album, she plays the hurdy gurdy with the band, since the fourth album she also participates in texting and composing and with the fifth album she also contributed viola parts. From 1998 to 2000 Kränzlein read music at the Munich Conservatory with Urs Stieler. In 2001 she moved to the Saar University of Music at Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken is the capital of the state of Saarland in Germany. The city is situated at the heart of a metropolitan area that borders on the west on Dillingen and to the north-east on Neunkirchen, where most of the people of the Saarland live....
where she studied with Ulrike Dierick. There she played with the University Orchestra under Max Pommer and violinist virtuoso
Virtuoso
A virtuoso is an individual who possesses outstanding technical ability in the fine arts, at singing or playing a musical instrument. The plural form is either virtuosi or the Anglicisation, virtuosos, and the feminine form sometimes used is virtuosa...
and conductor Maxim Vengerov
Maxim Vengerov
Maxim Alexandrovich Vengerov is a violinist, violist, and conductor who was born in the Soviet Union.-Youth:Born on 20 August 1974 in Novosibirsk, Russia, to a family with musical tradition....
. In 2003 Kränzlein enrolled at the Würzburg University of Music, joining the class of Max Speermann, where she graduated with in 2006. Since 2001 she moreover takes lessons in classical song.
In 2007 she published Neuland (lit.: new territory) the first album in a solo career that had been in planning before. It features a mix of five classical pieces and four own compositions that were recorded with violin, viola and also hurdy gurdy. Another two tracks were her debut as a classical singer. Guest musicians include bassist Matthias Richter (Schandmaul, Weto) and drummer Curt Cress (Tina Turner
Tina Turner
Tina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have led many to call her the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...
, Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
, Falco
Falco (musician)
Johann Hölzel , better known by his stage name Falco, was an Austrian pop and rock musician and rapper. He had several international hits: "Der Kommissar", "Rock Me Amadeus", "Vienna Calling", "Jeanny", "The Sound of Musik", "Coming Home " and posthumously, "Out Of The Dark"...
). Anna Kränzlein went on tour with Letzte Instanz
Letzte Instanz
Letzte Instanz, founded in Dresden, Germany in 1996, is a German metal band particularly noted for their use of the violin and cello. The founding members included Hörbi, Tin Whistle, Muttis Stolz, Kaspar Wichman, Holly D. and Markus G-Punkt. Benni Cellini and Robin Sohn entered the group a year...
in February 2008 and also performs solo as Anna Katharina.
Solo albums
- Neuland, Fame Recordings, Edel (distribution), 2007
- Saitensprung, Fame Recordings, Edel (distribution), 2009
Schandmaul
- Wahre Helden, self-distribution, 1998
- Von Spitzbuben und anderen Halunken, self-distribution, 2000
- Narrenkönig, Fame Recordings, Edel (distribution), 2002
- Hexenkessel (live CD and DVD), Fame Recordings, Edel (distribution), 2003
- Wie Pech & SchwefelWie Pech & SchwefelWie Pech & Schwefel is the fourth album released by Schandmaul on April 26, 2004. It remained in the German Longplay Charts for six weeks, peaking at #13.-Track listing:-Personnel:* Dominik Büll – cello on 4, 6* Oliver Sa Tyr – celtic harp on 7...
, Fame Recordings, Edel (distribution), 2004 - Kunststück (live CD and DVD), Fame Recordings, Edel (distribution), 2004
- Bin Unterwegs (with orchestra), Single, Fame Recordings, Edel (distribution), 2005
- Wahre Helden Fame Recordings, Edel (distribution) 2005
- Von Spitzbuben & Anderen Halunken, Fame Recordings, Edel (distribution) 2005
- Immer noch WachSchattenreiterSchattenreiter is the fourth full-length studio album by the German industrial rock/medieval metal band, Tanzwut. Schattenreiter was released on April 7, 2006 by PICA Music as a two CD digipack...
(Feat. Tanzwut) 2005 - Picture Vinyl, Vinyl Platte 2005
- Kein Weg zu Weit, single, Fame Recordings, Edel (distribution), 2006
- Mit Leib und SeeleMit Leib und SeeleMit Leib und Seele is the fifth album released by Schandmaul on March 31, 2006. It remained in the German Longplay Charts for ten weeks, peaking at #10.-Reviews:...
, Fame Recordings, Edel (distribution), 2006 - AndersweltAnderswelt-Personnel:Benni Cellini of Letzte Instanz appears as guest musician on "Krieger", "Königin", "Die Braut", "Augen auf!" and "Prinzessin"....
, Fame Recordings, Edel (distribution), 2008 - Sinnbilder (DVD; portrait and live concert of the 2007 Wacken Open AirWacken Open AirWacken Open Air is a summer open air heavy metal music festival. It takes place annually in the small town of Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany...
), Fame Recordings, Edel (distribution), 2008 - Sinnfonie (live CD and DVD, Portrait and live concert of the 2007 Wacken Open Air plus Andersvolk - Der Fan Film), Fame Recordings, Edel (distribution), 2009
- Traumtänzer, Fame Recordings, Sony Music (distribution), 2011
Guest musician
- Weto - Tatort Bühne, self-distribution, 1996
- Letzte InstanzLetzte InstanzLetzte Instanz, founded in Dresden, Germany in 1996, is a German metal band particularly noted for their use of the violin and cello. The founding members included Hörbi, Tin Whistle, Muttis Stolz, Kaspar Wichman, Holly D. and Markus G-Punkt. Benni Cellini and Robin Sohn entered the group a year...
- Die weiße Reise: Live In Dresden, Drakkar, 2008 - Letzte Instanz - Weißgold (Live double DVD, contains also excerpts from the Anna Katharina concert), Sony Music, 2008
- Sava - Metamorphosis, Banshee Records/KOM 4 Medien; Alive (distribution), 2008