Scharoun Ensemble (Orchestra)
Founded in 1983 by members of the
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Scharoun Ensemble is one of Germany’s leading
chamber-music organizations. With its wide repertoire, ranging from composers of
the Baroque period by way of Classical and Romantic chamber music to
contemporary works, the Scharoun Ensemble has been inspiring audiences in Europe
and overseas for more than a quarter of a century. Innovative programming, a
refined tonal culture and spirited interpretations are hallmarks of the
ensemble, which performs in a variety of instrumental combinations.
The permanent core of the Scharoun
Ensemble is a classical octet (clarinet, bassoon, horn, two violins, viola,
cello and double bass), made up entirely of members of the Berlin Philharmonic.
When called for, the ensemble brings in additional instrumentalists as well as
noted conductors. The Scharoun Ensemble has prepared and presented various
programmes under the direction of Claudio Abbado, Sir Simon Rattle, Daniel
Barenboim and Pierre Boulez. It has also performed with singers including Thomas
Quasthoff, Simon Keenlyside and Barbara Hannigan, and, for interdisciplinary
projects, the ensemble has engaged such artists as Fanny Ardant, Loriot and
Dominique Horwitz.
Bridging the gap between tradition and
the modern is the Scharoun Ensemble’s principal artistic focus. It has given
world premieres of many 20th- and 21st-century compositions while dedicating
itself with equal passion to the interpretation of works from past centuries.
Among the cornerstones of its repertoire are Franz Schubert’s Octet d803, with
which the ensemble made its public debut in 1983, and Ludwig van Beethoven’s
Septet Op.20.
Cultivating an active contact with
today’s composers has been a matter of special interest to the Scharoun Ensemble
since its inception. Gyцrgy Ligeti, Hans Werner Henze, Pierre Boulez, Gyцrgy
Kurtбg and Wolfgang Rihm have accompanied the group on its artistic journey, as
have composers of the younger generation including Jцrg Widmann and Matthias
Pintscher.
Complementing the Scharoun Ensemble’s
brisk international concert activity is its annual residence at and artistic
directorship of the Zermatt Festival, founded in 2005. Along with concerts by
major artists, each summer’s festival includes musical workshops offering young
musicians the chance to work with the members of the Scharoun Ensemble.
Lending his name to the Scharoun
Ensemble is the architect of its musical home. In designing the Berlin
Philharmonie, Hans Scharoun (1893-1972) created a concert hall that was unique
in the world, undertaking a synthesis between innovation and awareness of
tradition and opening up new approaches to artistic communication – ideals to
which the Scharoun Ensemble is also committed.
Scharoun Ensemble: Wolfram BRANDL,
violin Rachel SCHMIDT, violin Micha AFKHAM, viola Claudio BOHORQUEZ,
cello Peter RIEGELBAUER, double bass Alexander BADER, clarinet Markus
WEIDMANN, bassoon Stefan de LEVAL JEZIERSKI, horn
|