News
Aris in winter: “Of power stations, recording studios and winter stress”
Although the Advent season is always peaceful in theory, in reality it is unfortunately often quite stressful - especially when a CD and video production is also due between concerts in Aschaffenburg, Lippstadt, Weikersheim, Munich, Bad Homburg, Flörsheim, Berlin, Frankfurt and Erbach. Normally, this is a very tedious and complicated task - but this time it was an absolute pleasure in the legendary Teldex Studio Berlin with its ideal acoustics and perfect external conditions: the recording of Jean Sibelius' Piano Quintet with the fabulous pianist Annika Treutler, which will be released next year, is certainly something to look forward to!
In Munich, the Aris Quartet also had the great pleasure of performing together with Omer Klein in the brand new “Kulturkraftwerk” Bergson - the former thermal power station boasts spectacular architecture and is currently an absolute insider tip! After the final hometown concert at the Alte Oper Frankfurt in December, the musicians are now taking a well-deserved winter break with their families - we wish you a wonderful Advent season, relaxing holidays and a happy new year! Start the new year with good music - and experience the Aris Quartet live on January 06th 2025 in the Great Hall of the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg!!!
Aris in autumn: "About the season start, chamber orchestras and pianists"
New season, new (musical) fortune: the Aris Quartet is well rested for the start of autumn and a brand new season with exciting projects, fascinating tours and a delightful program!
The season kicked off with a double concert on September 3rd and 4th at the “vielsaitig” festival in Füssen. Exceptional musician and jazz pianist Omer Klein also took part: their joint program “Shake it” combines classical music and jazz in a fascinating way - including exclusive new compositions and arrangements by Omer Klein!
The musicians could then be experienced in an unusual line-up at the Beethovenfest Bonn: together with pianist Fabian Müller and ensemble friends, the Aris Quartet founded a brand new chamber orchestra last year, the “Trinity Sinfonia”, which shone this time with Beethoven symphonies in Bonn and Weikersheim (19.+21.09.) - not only a musical delight, but also a joyful change in the quartet's everyday life!
Tradition was then the focus in October: there was a concert highlight at the venerable Schubertiade on October 5 with the magnificent William Youn at the piano - a music festival that should be an absolute must for every classical music lover!
In the "sacred halls"" of the Beethovenhaus Bonn, there was a special debut on 11.10., this time with a pure quartet line-up, which captivated with "quartet art at the very highest level... and a finely balanced ensemble sound”. (Generalanzeiger Bonn)
The festival "Gegen den Strom" on October 12th in the opulent Marmorsaal Bad Ems marked the sonorous conclusion of the concert phase - it can and should go on like this! See you soon and best musical regards!
Aris Quartett in "The Strad"
Today we have a very special reading recommendation: the current September issue of the renowned international classical music magazine “The Strad” features an in-depth interview with our violinist Noémi Zipperling.
In the popular “Masterclass” series, she takes Felix Mendelssohn's famous String Quartet in F minor op.80 as an example to give a deep insight behind the scenes of a string quartet's rehearsal work. How is an interpretation created? What techniques does a quartet use to convey tension, drama and emotion?
These answers and lots of practical tips can be found in this absolutely instructive and worthwhile read - perfect for all string quartet enthusiasts and those who want to become one!
Aris in July/August: “Final stretch and time for vacation”
Final push! In July, all forces were mobilized once again at the end of the season: numerous notes, kilometers of travel and even a drop or two of sweat in sunny weather had to be put in before the start of the well-deserved vacation!
At the beginning of the month, they returned to the fine chamber music series at Leitheim Castle (13.07) - a concert “carried by the highest unity, with vital precision and stirring energy”, as the Augsburger Allgemeine reported.
The Aris Quartet was then given a special honor on 17.07: the ensemble was a guest in the Deutschlandfunk studio on “Klassik,Pop, etc”: in the cult show, the musicians present their favorite music and playlists - we will of course let you know the broadcast date in advance!!!
Since winning the Audience Award in 2019, the Aris Quartet has been an annual guest at the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival - this time in Penzlin (18.07): one of the largest European music festivals, which nevertheless manages to create a personal, almost familiar atmosphere every time! With pianist Claire Huangci, there was also a wonderful debut at the Tyrolean Festival Erl on 25.07: in the spectacular architecture of the Festspielhaus, there were many unknown, but no less brilliant works to be heard with Hensel, Barber and the piano quintet by Cesar Franck!
Old friends were then met in Staufen (28.07): the Aris Quartet has been faithfully associated with promoter Wolfgang Schäfer and his Staufen Music Week for many years - a successful conclusion to the intensive season!
Now we wish you and the musicians a relaxing, restful and wonderful summer - see you soon!!!
Aris in June: "Of domes, premieres and tractors"
Crisis in classical music? Fewer and fewer concert series and falling ticket sales? There is another way, as the idyllically located Fleckenbühler Hof in Schönstadt proves: a newly founded series, a dedicated team and a sold-out hall - a wonderful start to the month for the musicians of the Aris Quartet on June 1st!
From the great outdoors, it was straight on to the big city - with a special highlight in the Cologne Philharmonie on June 2: once again together with a fantastic Christiane Karg!
Meanwhile, there was more than just music to marvel at on June 13 in Leipzig: the Aris Quartet gave a fascinating open-air concert in the breathtaking setting of the "TECHNE SPHERE" designed by star architect Oscar Niemeyer - great pictures included!
The ensemble performed two concerts for the first time at the Musikfest in Kassel (14.+15.06.) - it was also the first joint appearance with cellist Nico Treutler and - logically enough - also with a premiere! The Bärenreiter publishing house has rearranged Robert Schumann's famous cello concerto for quartet and solo cello - an extremely well-executed version that brings completely new facets to this much-played work.
Back to nature they went to Buchholz in the Nordheide on June 16th - the anniversary celebration of the history and museum association provided a rustic but extremely charming setting for the performance with pianist Michael Dorner - and provided a successful conclusion to a highly varied concert month!
Aris in May: “Of anniversary celebrations and rehearsal rooms”
After the stresses and strains of touring in recent weeks and months, the musicians of the Aris Quartet had a relatively quiet month of May. But as they say: after the concert is before the concert - so more than just the odd hour or two was spent individually and collectively in the rehearsal room, as the next concerts in June and July are already just around the corner!
There was also a special anniversary to celebrate: 15 years of the Aris Quartet! On May 27, 2009, the ensemble gave its very first performance at the Musikhochschule Frankfurt - in the meantime, it has performed over 850 more concerts and with the same line-up! Congratulations on this achievement and here's to many more successful years!
Aris in April: “Watercolor-soft sopranos, fiery octets and touching hospitality”
Springtime is tour time: an April full of concerts, trips and exciting experiences for the Aris Quartett!
It started with a highlight of the season: on April 5, they gave an acclaimed performance in the sold-out Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg! This was the fourth time in four years that the Aris Quartet had performed at the prestigious venue - and this time they were joined by an absolute star guest in the form of Christiane Karg. The Hamburger Abendblatt was full of praise for this “watercolor-delicate chamber music” and “would not have wanted to miss a single note of this concert”.
If you don't want to miss this special program, you have another opportunity on June 2nd at the Kölner Philharmonie, tickets are available here!
After a short recording session in the wonderful acoustics of the newly built Casals Forum in Kronberg (a good time to subscribe to the Aris Quartet's YouTube channel!!), the tour continued on April 13 at the Meisterkonzerte in Würzburg - with a very special concept: the Aris Quartet had previously worked on Mendelssohn's string octet with students from the Musikhochschule - celebrated in concert with visible enthusiasm and fiery intensity!
Further stops were Donaueschingen (04.14), Icking (04.20) and Burgrieden (04.21) - a pleasure and privilege to experience the commitment, warmth and hospitality with which the musicians are received in these chamber music series!
Finally, on April 28, Schumann and the American pianist Claire Huangci performed at the venerable Wiesbaden Casino Society. And at this point I will let Dietrich Stern of the Wiesbadener Kurier conclude in all simplicity: “The energetic final chord led to cheers and standing ovations”. Spring can come!
Aris in March: "On streaming statistics and standing Americans"
It was an eventful March for the musicians of the Aris Quartet:
It started right away on March 1st with a world premiere by the Austrian-American composer Lukas Ligeti in Stuttgart's Liederhalle. Ligeti dedicated the 4th string quartet entitled "Neostasis" to the Aris Quartet.
On March 8th, International Women's Day, the Aris Quartet broke new ground and released the very first "e-single" in its 15-year history with music by Fanny Hensel with Deutsche Grammophon (Universal Music).
A new format for new times - and extremely successful, as evidenced by the tens of thousands of streaming views in the first few weeks. For those who also want something for the eye, the DG has conveniently also published the matching video - take a look and enjoy the music of the composer, who is unfortunately only rarely performed.
On March 14, the ensemble once again traveled to North America. From North Carolina to Utah, the musicians were celebrated by euphoric US audiences with standing ovations - a particular highlight was their Canadian debut in the "Salle Pollack Hall" in Montreal. An important part of the quartet's work is always working with talented young musicians - this time in master classes at Weber State University and the University of Utah.
Fortunately, there was enough time for one or two excursions into the impressive natural surroundings - and the musicians were able to spend Easter tired but happy with their families.
New e-single released by Deutsche Grammophon
On March 8, 2024, the first e-single and the first e-video of the Aris Quartet will be released by Deutsche Grammophon.
In keeping with International Women's Day, the first movement of Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel's String Quartet in E flat major is released as a "Musical Moment".
The recording is available on all popular streaming portals.
World premiere of the 4th string quartet by Lukas Ligeti
On March 1, 2024, the Aris Quartet premiered the 4th string quartet "Neostasis" by Lukas Ligeti at the Liederhalle Stuttgart.
The work was commissioned by the Aris Quartet and made possible by the generous support of the Wilfried & Martha Ensinger Foundation.
Following numerous world premieres in recent years - for example by Misato Mochizuki, Kit Armstrong, Pierre-Dominique Ponnelle, Gerald Resch, John Woolrich and Konstantia Gourzi - the Aris Quartet once again demonstrates its great commitment to contemporary music, which was already awarded the prestigious Mamlok Prize in 2022.
New release on Deutsche Grammophon
The multi-prize-winning Aris Quartet joins the Rising Stars series on STAGE+ with a programme of music by the siblings Felix Mendelssohn and Fanny Hensel. First comes Hensel's sparkling Quartet in E flat of 1834 – a work that likely languished unperformed until it was finally published in 1989 and revealed as an important work of musical romanticism. Mendelssohn, meanwhile, composed his dramatic final quartet in 1847 in response to his sister's sudden death – and died himself only a few months later. To complete the programme, the Aris Quartet perform a sparkling string quartet arrangement of Mendelssohn's Song without Words Op. 102 No. 3.
Exclusively on STAGE+
A furious start to 2023
In the 14 years of our existence, we have rarely had such an intense, fulfilling and packed start to the new year:
We started with the legendary chamber music week at Schloss Elmau with the great Tabea Zimmermann (viola), followed by performances with Daniel Müller-Schott (cello) and Kit Armstrong (piano) - including the world premiere of Armstrong's new piano quintet at the Alte Oper Frankfurt. Special quartet highlights were, of course, our concerts at the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, the Konserthuset Stockholm and our debut at the Philharmonie Cologne.
There is only little time to take a deep breath: already in February we are going on our first US tour, with concerts in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and many more!
Keep your fingers crossed for us, stay tuned and have a look at our Instagram channel!
