Praised by The New York Times for its “dramatic, energetic playing of clean intensity”, the Tetzlaff Quartett is one of today’s leading and most sought-after string quartets in the middle generation. Their shared passion for chamber music led Christian and Tanja Tetzlaff, as well as Hanna Weinmeister and Elisabeth Kufferath to form a string quartet in 1994 – the Tetzlaff Quartet was born.
Regular concerts take them to all the important concert venues in Germany, as well as to France, Italy, Belgium, Great Britain, Switzerland and the USA. The ensemble has visited stages such as the Cité de la Musique in Paris, Wigmore Hall London, the Société Philharmonique in Brussels, the Vienna Musikverein and the Concertgebouw Amsterdam. The ensemble is a welcome guest at renowned festivals such as the Berliner Festwochen and the Heidelberger Frühling. A tour to the USA and concerts in Japan are planned for the upcoming season. In Europe, the quartet will perform in Trondheim, Oslo and Bergen, Paris and Evian, among other cities. In Germany they have a residency at the Schwetzinger SWR Festival.
In 2010 the first CD with quartets by Schönberg and Sibelius was released on the CAvi label; followed by a recording with works by Berg and Mendelssohn in 2013. This record was awarded the “Diapason d’Or”. A CD with works by Haydn and Schubert was released on the Ondine label in 2017, and most recent recording came in 2020, with two late string quartets by Beethoven.
Christian Tetzlaff, violin
Equally at home in the repertoire of classical and romantic music as well as the 20th century, Christian Tetzlaff has set standards with his interpretations of the great violin concertos. As a soloist and chamber musician, he regularly gives guest performances in all international music metropolises. He plays a violin by Peter Greiner.
Elisabeth Kufferath, violin
Since 2009 she has held a professorship for violin at the University of Music and Drama in Hannover. She is a sought-after chamber music partner and is committed to contemporary music (premieres of Manfred Trojahn and Elliott Carter, among others). She plays a violin by Peter Greiner.
Hanna Weinmeister, viola
Since 1998 she is currently First Concertmaster at Opernhaus Zürich. She has worked with, amongst others, Leonidas Kavakos, Heinz Holliger, Gidon Kremer and Benjamin Schmid. She plays a Peter Greiner viola.
Tanja Tetzlaff, violoncello
Tanja Tetzlaff performs as a soloist and chamber musician throughout Europe as well as in the USA, Australia and Japan and is a regular guest at international festivals. She plays a violoncello by Giovanni Battista Guadagnini from 1776.
Click here for the Tetzlaff Quartetts website.
Photo: ©Giorgia_Bertazzi