Thomas Zehetmair - violin
Kuba Jakowicz - violin
Ruth Killius - viola
Ursula Smith - cello
Founded in autumn 1994, the Zehetmair Quartet embarked upon its first concert tour in spring 1998. Their success resulted in re-engagements by all the promoters, followed by invitations to the United States (2001 and 2003) and Japan (2002) to complement the Quartet’s annual European tours. In 2004 the Zehetmair Quartet was a guest at the Edinburgh Festival, the Helsinki Festival, the Schleswig Holstein Musik Festival and others. 2004 also saw the Quartet give masterclasses for the first time and further master classes are now planned.
The first CD featuring Bartók‘s 4th and Hartmann‘s 1st quartet was released in 2000 on the ECM label and was awarded the Quarterly Prize by the Deutsche Schallplattenkritik. Their latest release, Schumann‘s 1st and 3rd string quartets (also recorded on the ECM label), won the Gramophone Award (Record of the Year), the Diapason d’Or of the Year, the Dutch Edison Classical Music Award 2004, the Belgian Caecilia Award and the Klara Award for the best international production of the year.
The members of the Zehetmair Quartet rehearse a new programme each year, under a conception which generally includes rarely-performed masterpieces (for example works by K. A. Hartmann, S. Veress) in combination with the more standard repertoire.
Il Giornale dell’Umbria 6 aprile 2006
Gli “Zehetmair”si sono esibiti a Perugia in un concerto senza spartito musicale
UN QUARTETTO CHE TOGLIE IL FIATO
...questi eccezionali musicisti che hanno accettato la sfida più difficile del quartetto d’archi, che è l’esecuzione senza spartito musicale.
....nella proposta del Quartetto K458...ai quartettisti dello Zehetmair non è comunque sfuggito quell’arco di minuetto in cui Mozart ha voluto dire cose diverse: il loro aggancio era inquietante, problematico, indagativo come compete a certe zone ancora misteriose dellll’esteriorità mozartiana.
...quinto Quartetto di Bartok...E qui suonare a memoria è qualcosa di titanico che merita tutta l’ammirazione possibile
