1st Violin: CONRAD MUCK
2nd Violin: TILMAN BÜNING
Viola: IVO BAUER
Cello: MATTHIAS MOOSDORF
"The Leipzig String Quartet is widely known as one of the most exciting modern string quartets" (New Zurich Newspaper). Founded in 1988. Three of the members were principal players of the Leipzig Gewandhausorchester until 1993, when they decided to devote themselves to the quartet. The Leipzig String Quartet was taught in Leipzig by Gerhard Bosse, in London and Cologne by the Amadeus String Quartet, and in Hanover by Hut Beierle and Walter Levin.
The Leipzig String Quartet has won numerous international awards, including 2nd prize (no first prize) at the Munich Competition, the 1991 Bush Brothers Prize, and the 1992 Siemens Music Prize. He was awarded a scholarship by the Amadeus Scholarship and the Cultural Fund Foundation. In 1991, the four started their own string quartet series "Pro Quatuor", set in the Leipzig Gewandhaus, featuring all string quartets of the Viennese Classical and New Viennese Schools.
As a member of Leipzig's "Ensemble Avant-Garde", the Leipzig String Quartet has worked on modern and contemporary works. For the last 10 years, the "Ensemble Avantgarde" has been holding a concert series "Musica Nova" at the Leipzig Gewandhaus. In 1993 they received the Schneider Schott Prize from the city of Mainz for their performance of contemporary works.
So far, he has visited more than 40 countries, including Europe, North and South America, North Africa, Southeast Asia, Australia, Japan, and Israel. He has been invited to major international music festivals such as Berlin Art Week, Bregenz Festspiel, Schubertiade Hohenems, Schleswig-Holstein, Gstaad, Montpellier, Bach, Brighton, etc. In addition, Schubert, Bach, and Cycles on specific modern and contemporary themes are regularly performed according to the plan of this quartet.
Since 1992, he has signed an exclusive contract with Dublinghaus und Grimm and has recorded an extensive repertoire. Over 30 CD recordings, from Mozart to Cage, from Haubenstock-Ramati to Beethoven, by Paul Dessau, Theodor W. Adorno, Hans Eisler, Heinrich Kaminski, Anton Webern and others. He has received high praise from critics for his complete string quartet works. Notable recording awards include the Diapason Gold Award, the Premios CD Compact, the Indy Award, and the 1999 and 2000 Echo Classic Awards.
In 1997, he completed the first recording of all of Schubert's string quartet works on nine CDs, which was praised by experts as "the most important edition of Schubert Year" (American Record Guide). A recording of the complete New Viennese School string quartet was released in 2000.
Karl Leister (clarinet), Michael Sanderling (cello), Hartmut Rohde (viola), Christiane Zacharias (piano), Christiane Elze (soprano), Olaf Behr (baritone) or “ He has performed with the king of Kretzmer music, "Giora Feitmann," and has broadened his repertoire. Today there are over 200 works by 55 composers. Naturally, they attach special importance to different stylistic approaches to each composer.
At the Leipzig Gewandhaus he has performed all string quartets of the Viennese and New Viennese Schools in Cyclus for several years. In 1996 he was responsible for the German premiere of the "Three Concertos" for string trio and orchestra by Alfred Schnittke. Recent premieres have included works by Beat Fuller, Jörg Widmann, Wolfgang Rihm, Stephan Schleiermacher, Christian Ofenbauer, Siegfried Thiele and Bernd Franke.
The Leipzig String Quartet is the initiator of the "European Friendship Memorial Beethoven Cycles" and has performed in more than 15 European cities with five other string quartets.