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Our 2008--2009
Past Seasons: |
The Kuss String Quartet
Founded in 1991 when its members were still students, the Kuss Quartet began its work with the support of Eberhard Feltz at the Hanns-Eisler Academy in Berlin. Its current members have played together since October 2001. The Kuss Quartet's teachers include the Alban Berg Quartet, Walter Levin of the LaSalle Quartet, pianist Ferenc Rados as well as Martha and Paul Katz -- formerly of the Cleveland Quartet -- who invited the young musicians to study with them at Boston's New England Conservatory during the 2001/2002 school year. In 2002, in addition to winning the prize of the Deutsche Musikrat, the quartet also received First Prize in the renowned Borciani Competition. One year later, the quartet was selected by the European Concert Hall Organization (ECHO) for the "Rising Stars" program. The Kuss Quartet has appeared at major festivals during summer months as well, appearing in 2005, for example, in Salzburg, Edinburgh and at the Schubertiade Schwarzenberg. The Kuss Quartet's chamber music partners include Kim Kashkashian, Yuri Bashmet, Sharon Kam and Jörg Widmann. The quartet regularly develops programs with actor Udo Samel that combine music and literature. The quartet maintains close contact with contemporary composers. They have worked intensively with György Kurtág. The quartet has accompanied two young, highly successful composers as they created their first works for quartet: Jörg Widmann and Lera Auerbach. The quartet chose a very special juxtaposition of works for its first CD in 2003: Adorno's "Zwei Stücke" and Schönberg's String Quartet, op. 7. In August 2005, the quartet released a recording with early and late works by Mozart and Mendelssohn on OehmsClassics. Visits to schools, concerts for children as well as discussion concerts are a regular part of the work of the quartet. Since 2005, a series of discussion concerts entitled "Discovering the string quartet" has been held in the Königs Wusterhausen castle near Berlin. A broad cooperation with the rbb (a cultural radio program) enables the quartet to present evening programs with guests from other arts in the Berlin club "Café Moskau" under the title "Kuss plus". In February 2005, the ensemble accompanied German President Horst Köhler on his first official visit to Israel and gave a highly acclaimed concert in Jerusalem. |
