Artemis Quartet

The Artemis Quartet, named after the Greek goddess of hunt and wilderness, is a German string quartet. The quartet was founded 1989 in Lübeck and is now Berlin-based.^[1] They are especially noted for their performances of the Beethoven string quartets.^[2]

History

The quartet's mentors have included Walter Levin, the Alban Berg Quartet, the Juilliard String Quartet and the Emerson String Quartet. The prize of the German Music Competition (1995) and first prize at the ARD Music Competition (1996) and the Premio Paolo Borciani (1997) paved the way to an international career.

The recordings of the ensemble were awarded several important prizes, recently including the ECHO Klassik (ECHO Klassik) 2006 for their recording of the Beethoven Quartets Op. 95 and 59/1. The quartet was awarded the German Critics' Prize 2001, and the Würth Prize of Jeunesses Musicales Germany 2007. In 2015 the quartet was again awarded the ECHO Klassik in the category of chamber music recording of the year.^[3]

The first members of the Artemis Quartet were professors of chamber music at the University of Arts, Berlin (Universität der Künste Berlin). For personal and health reasons Wilken Ranck left the quartet in 1994 and Volker Jacobsen and Heime Müller left at the end of the 2006/07 season. Natalia Prishepenko resigned from the quartet after 18 years of membership of the ensemble in 2012. Newer members were Gregor Sigl (2nd violin), the violist Friedemann Weigle (until his death in July 2015) and the Latvian violinist Vineta Sareika (1st violin). In early 2016 Anthea Kreston took over 2nd violin, with Gregor Sigl moving to viola.

The Artemis Quartet is an honorary member of the Association of the Beethoven House in Bonn.

Discography

The Artemis Quartet has had an exclusive recording contract with Virgin Classics/EMI since 2005. Their discography includes

• Beethoven: String Quartets Opp. 59 & 95 (2005)
• Ligeti: String Quartet Nos 1 & 2 (2005)
• Verklärte Nacht (2006)
• Dvořák, Janáček: String Quartets (2006
• Schumann, Brahms: Piano Quintets with Leif Ove Andsnes
• Schubert: String Quintet in C & String Quartet No. 703 with Truls Mørk (2007)^[4]
• Beethoven: Beethoven String Quartets Op. 18 No. 4 & Op. 59 No. 2 (2008)
• Beethoven: String Quartets Op.130 No. 133 & 18 No. 6 (2010)
• Beethoven: String Quartets Op.18 No. 1 & Op. 127 (2010)
• Beethoven: String Quartets Op.18 No. 5, 18 No. 3, Op. 135 (2011)
• Beethoven: Complete String Quartets (2011)
• Schubert: String Quartets No. 13-15: Rosamunde, Death and the Maiden, String Quartet No. 15

Members (since 1989)

• Violin: Wilken Ranck (1989–1994), Natalia Prishepenko (1994-2012), Vineta Sareika (since 2012)
• Violin: Isabel Trautwein (1989–1991), Heime Müller (1991–2007), Gregor Sigl (2007-2016), Anthea Kreston (since 2016)
• Viola: Volker Jacobsen (1989–2007), Friedemann Weigle (2007–2015), Gregor Sigl (since 2016)
• Violoncello: Eckart Runge (since 1989)

Weblinks

• Official Homepage

References