Henschel Quartet
Encyclopedia
The Henschel Quartet is a German string quartet comprising the Henschel siblings; Christoph and Markus (Violinists) and Monika (Violist) and, the cellist, Mathias Beyer-Karlshøj, who joined them in 1994.
, in London.
Mathias Beyer-Karlshøj studied with the Swedish cellist Thorleif Thedeen and gained a distinction in 1996, at the end of his studies at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen.
An intensive musical experience was gained through their contact with Sergiu Celibidache
and with Prof. Franz Beyer
from the Musikhochschule in Munich
.
The London Master Classes and classes at the Musikhochschule in Cologne
, Germany with the Amadeus Quartet
had a determining influence on the musical development and direction of the ensemble. Similarly, regular courses with members of the La Salle Quartet and Alban Berg Quartet
had a profound influence on the Henschel Quartet.
The Henschel Quartet were quartet in residence at both the Aldeburgh Festival
(1994) and at the Tanglewood Music Festival
(1995/1996). At the latter, they were coached by musicians Louis Krasner
and Eugene Lehner
, who had worked with composers such as Béla Bartók
and Arnold Schönberg, and who gave the quartet unique insights into the works of the Second Viennese School
.
The quartet has given many première performances of works of contemporary composers from Günter Bialas
to Manfred Trojahn and played premières of recently discovered works of famous past composers:
The Henschel Quartet has worked for the German Music Council and the Siemens Arts Programme and regularly takes part in their programmes at the Goethe Institutes abroad.
The quartet belongs to the select group of guest ensembles who regularly play at the Spanish royal palace in Madrid and perform concerts on the 4 Stradivarius instruments that belong to the palace.
Since 2007, the quartet has performed 20th century works and made premières recordings for the newly-formed CD label NEOS, including pieces by amateur composers Derek Smith, Earl Reisdorff, Andy Evans and Roland Fudge (Competition Winners in 2009 BBC Music Magazine
Competition), see [www.henschel-quartett.de]
, England, and the University of Melbourne
, Australia.
Moreover, the Henschel Quartet is engaged in exchanges with other ensembles and strives to reach new levels of artistic excellence in chamber music. Together with Franz Preuschoff as the official organiser, the quartet has, since 1997, invited a new colleague ensemble to perform each year in their string festival at the Kloster Seligenstadt.
Since its beginning, the quartet has committed itself to supporting children and young people. The non-profit organisation “Friends of the Henschel Quartet for the promotion of chamber music” has been dedicating itself, since 2001 not only to the support of youth, but also to the expansion of the chamber music scene.
As ambassadors for SOS Children’s Villages Association, the Henschel Quartet organises workshops and concerts for children and youth, and have made a CD Recording in aid of the SOS children’s villages.
Musical Training
Christoph, Markus and Monika Henschel studied with Felix Andrievsky, a graduate of the Moscow Violin School of playing (Yampolsky and Yankelevich) and gained distinction in their diplomas from the Royal College of MusicRoyal College of Music
The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire founded by Royal Charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, England.-Background:The first director was Sir George Grove and he was followed by Sir Hubert Parry...
, in London.
Mathias Beyer-Karlshøj studied with the Swedish cellist Thorleif Thedeen and gained a distinction in 1996, at the end of his studies at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen.
An intensive musical experience was gained through their contact with Sergiu Celibidache
Sergiu Celibidache
- Biography :Celibidache was born in Roman, Romania, and began his studies in music with the piano, after which he studied music, philosophy and mathematics in Bucharest, Romania and then in Paris...
and with Prof. Franz Beyer
Franz Beyer
Franz Beyer is a German musicologist who is best known for his revising and restoration of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's music, in particular his unfinished Requiem, KV 626, which he restored in the early 1970s....
from the Musikhochschule in Munich
Hochschule für Musik und Theater München
The Hochschule für Musik und Theater München is one of the most respected traditional vocational universities in Germany specialising in music and the performing arts. The seat of the Hochschule is the former Führerbau of the NSDAP, located at Arcisstraße 12, on the eastern side of the Königsplatz...
.
The London Master Classes and classes at the Musikhochschule in Cologne
Hochschule für Musik Köln
The Cologne University of Music is a music college in Cologne, and Germany's largest academy of music.-History:The academy was founded by Ferdinand Hiller in 1850 as Conservatorium der Musik in Coeln...
, Germany with the Amadeus Quartet
Amadeus Quartet
The Amadeus Quartet was a world famous string quartet founded in 1947.Because of their Jewish origin, violinists Norbert Brainin, Siegmund Nissel and Peter Schidlof were driven out of Vienna after Hitler's Anschluss of 1938...
had a determining influence on the musical development and direction of the ensemble. Similarly, regular courses with members of the La Salle Quartet and Alban Berg Quartet
Alban Berg Quartet
The Alban Berg Quartett was a string quartet founded in Vienna, Austria in 1970, named after the famous composer Alban Berg.-Members:- Beginnings :...
had a profound influence on the Henschel Quartet.
The Henschel Quartet were quartet in residence at both the Aldeburgh Festival
Aldeburgh Festival
The Aldeburgh Festival is an English arts festival devoted mainly to classical music. It takes place each June in the Aldeburgh area of Suffolk, centred on the main concert hall at Snape Maltings...
(1994) and at the Tanglewood Music Festival
Tanglewood Music Festival
The Tanglewood Music Festival is a music festival held every summer on the Tanglewood estate in Lenox, Massachusetts in the Berkshire Hills in western Massachusetts....
(1995/1996). At the latter, they were coached by musicians Louis Krasner
Louis Krasner
Louis Krasner was a renowned Ukrainian-born American classical violinist who premiered the violin concertos of Alban Berg and Arnold Schoenberg.-Biography:...
and Eugene Lehner
Eugene Lehner
Eugene Lehner was a violist and music educator.Mr. Lehner, as he preferred to be addressed, was born in Hungary in 1906. Originally named Jenö Léner, he performed as a self-taught violinist from the time he was 7. When he was 13, the composer Bela Bartok heard him play, and arranged for him to...
, who had worked with composers such as Béla Bartók
Béla Bartók
Béla Viktor János Bartók was a Hungarian composer and pianist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century and is regarded, along with Liszt, as Hungary's greatest composer...
and Arnold Schönberg, and who gave the quartet unique insights into the works of the Second Viennese School
Second Viennese School
The Second Viennese School is the group of composers that comprised Arnold Schoenberg and his pupils and close associates in early 20th century Vienna, where he lived and taught, sporadically, between 1903 and 1925...
.
Repertoire and Première Performances
The Henschel Quartet’s repertoire encompasses more than 200 works from the classical and romantic to 20th century and contemporary music.The quartet has given many première performances of works of contemporary composers from Günter Bialas
Günter Bialas
-Life:Bialas was born in Bielschowitz in Prussian Silesia. The adolescent Bialas received lessons in piano and music theory from Fritz Lubrich, a former student of Max Reger, in Kattowitz between 1922 and 1925...
to Manfred Trojahn and played premières of recently discovered works of famous past composers:
- 2006 concert première of Sergiu CelibidacheSergiu Celibidache- Biography :Celibidache was born in Roman, Romania, and began his studies in music with the piano, after which he studied music, philosophy and mathematics in Bucharest, Romania and then in Paris...
’s Taschengarten at the Herkulessaal in Munich with the Munich Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. - 2007 concert première of Carl OrffCarl OrffCarl Orff was a 20th-century German composer, best known for his cantata Carmina Burana . In addition to his career as a composer, Orff developed an influential method of music education for children.-Early life:...
’s string quartet movement at the Carl Orff Zentrum, Munich. - 2008 concert première of Max BruchMax BruchMax Christian Friedrich Bruch , also known as Max Karl August Bruch, was a German Romantic composer and conductor who wrote over 200 works, including three violin concertos, the first of which has become a staple of the violin repertoire.-Life:Bruch was born in Cologne, Rhine Province, where he...
’s string quintet in Eb (composed in 1918) at the Wigmore HallWigmore HallWigmore Hall is a leading international recital venue that specialises in hosting performances of chamber music and is best known for classical recitals of piano, song and instrumental music. It is located at 36 Wigmore Street, London, UK and was built to provide London with a venue that was both...
in London.
Awards and achievements
- In 1995 the Henschel Quartet were prize-winners of 5 prizes at international string quartet competitions in Evian, Banff and Salzburg for the best interpretation of works ranging from Mozart to contemporary composers. Also, that same year, the quartet made their first Japanese tour, together with members of the Amadeus QuartetAmadeus QuartetThe Amadeus Quartet was a world famous string quartet founded in 1947.Because of their Jewish origin, violinists Norbert Brainin, Siegmund Nissel and Peter Schidlof were driven out of Vienna after Hitler's Anschluss of 1938...
as the Ensemble Amadeus.
- In 1996 the quartet gained 1st prize and the gold medal in the international string quartet competition in Osaka.
- Their International success in 2001, led to the quartet being a stand-in for the Juilliard String QuartetJuilliard String QuartetThe Juilliard String Quartet is a classical music string quartet founded in 1946 at the Juilliard School in New York. The original members were violinists Robert Mann and Robert Koff, violist Raphael Hillyer, and cellist Arthur Winograd; Current members are Joseph Lin and Ronald Copes violinists,...
at London’s Wigmore HallWigmore HallWigmore Hall is a leading international recital venue that specialises in hosting performances of chamber music and is best known for classical recitals of piano, song and instrumental music. It is located at 36 Wigmore Street, London, UK and was built to provide London with a venue that was both...
.
- In 2002 the Henschel Quartet played their first Beethoven complete cycle of 6 evenings in Copenhagen/Tivoli.
- In 2006 the quartet became Germany’s cultural ambassadors for the EU during the jubilee celebrations of the EuropaliaEuropaliaEuropalia is a major international arts festival held every two years to celebrate one invited country’s cultural heritage. Europalia was established in Brussels in 1969, and from the beginning Europalia was designed to be a multidisciplinary cultural festival....
Festival in Brussels.
- In April 2007 the Henschel Quartet were on the front cover and an article dedicated to them in the Strad magazine. Also in the same year, they were successfully recognised as Henle Artists by the music publishers G Henle.
The Henschel Quartet has worked for the German Music Council and the Siemens Arts Programme and regularly takes part in their programmes at the Goethe Institutes abroad.
The quartet belongs to the select group of guest ensembles who regularly play at the Spanish royal palace in Madrid and perform concerts on the 4 Stradivarius instruments that belong to the palace.
CD Recordings
The Henschel Quartet have received noteworthy praise, nominations and awards for their CD recordings of the classical and romantic repertoire with SonyBMG, EMI and Deutsche Grammophon. These include:- Prize for the best German recording
- MIDEMMidem-MIDEM:Short for Marché International du Disque et de l'Edition Musicale, MIDEM is the world's largest music industry trade fair, which has been held annually at and around the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France, since 1967...
Cannes - CD of the year nmz
- The Henschel’s box-set of the complete string quartets of Felix Mendelssohn was ranked no.1 in the HMV charts in Japan for the longest running time during 1996 and 1997.
Since 2007, the quartet has performed 20th century works and made premières recordings for the newly-formed CD label NEOS, including pieces by amateur composers Derek Smith, Earl Reisdorff, Andy Evans and Roland Fudge (Competition Winners in 2009 BBC Music Magazine
BBC music magazine
BBC Music Magazine is a magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom by BBC Worldwide, the commercial subsidiary of the BBC. Reflecting the broadcast output of BBC Radio 3, the magazine is devoted primarily to classical music, though with sections on jazz and world music. Each edition comes...
Competition), see [www.henschel-quartett.de]
Teaching Commitments/Engagements
Since 1998 the Henschel Quartet has given regular masterclasses at universities and music departments such as MIT, Boston, Dartington College of ArtsDartington College of Arts
Dartington College of Arts was a specialist arts institution near Totnes, Devon, South West England, it specialized in post-dramatic theatre, music, choreography, Performance Writing and visual performance, focusing on a performative and multi-disciplinary approach to the arts. In addition to this,...
, England, and the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
, Australia.
Moreover, the Henschel Quartet is engaged in exchanges with other ensembles and strives to reach new levels of artistic excellence in chamber music. Together with Franz Preuschoff as the official organiser, the quartet has, since 1997, invited a new colleague ensemble to perform each year in their string festival at the Kloster Seligenstadt.
Since its beginning, the quartet has committed itself to supporting children and young people. The non-profit organisation “Friends of the Henschel Quartet for the promotion of chamber music” has been dedicating itself, since 2001 not only to the support of youth, but also to the expansion of the chamber music scene.
As ambassadors for SOS Children’s Villages Association, the Henschel Quartet organises workshops and concerts for children and youth, and have made a CD Recording in aid of the SOS children’s villages.