Natalia Prishepenko - Violin
Gregor Sigl - Violin
Friedemann Weigle – Viola
Eckart Runge - Cello
Biography
High praise comes from a discriminating voice. In a review of the Artemis Quartet, the influential German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung wrote that while there are many good string quartets performing internationally, "the Artemis ensemble is the best." The reason: "Ranging from Beethoven to Ligeti, their performances overflow with fullness of sound, delineated structure and unparalleled drama."
The Berlin-based Artemis Quartet was founded at the Lübeck Musikhochschule in 1989. Walter Levin, the Emerson Quartet, the Julliard Quartet, and the Alban Berg Quartet have been and remain important teachers and mentors for the quartet. The Artemis quickly gained a reputation as one of the leading ensembles of their generation. Their international stature was established by winning First Prizes at the ARD Competition in 1996 and soon thereafter First Prize at the Borciani Competition. Rather than dive headfirst into the tempting fast track of career success, the members of the Artemis Quartet instead immersed themselves in further study. In 1998 the ensemble spent a year in residence with the Alban Berg Quartet in Vienna, followed by a three month sabbatical at Berlin's Wissenschaftskolleg. Their June 1999 debut at the Berlin Philharmonie marked the formal start of their career.
A new phase of the chamber group's life began in July 2007 with Gregor Sigl and Friedemann Weigle joining the Quartet. The first appearances with these two new members included performances at the Salzburg Festival, the Schubertiade in Schwarzenberg, the Rheingau Musik Festival as well as Septembre Musical Montreux-Vevey.
Since 2004 the Quartet's series of concerts at the Berlin Philharmonie has met with high praise from critics and audiences alike. In addition to their busy schedule of concerts at all the most important concert venues in Europe, the US, Japan, South America and Australia, and numerous appearances at international festivals, the Artemis Quartet is also committed to teaching.
From the outset, the Artemis Quartet has placed a high value on the importance of collaboration. Most recently they toured with European sensations Juliane Banse, Truls Mørk and Leif Ove Andsnes. Additionally, intensive study of contemporary music is an important focus within the Quartet's repertoire. Composers such as Mauricio Sotelo (2004), Jörg Widmann (2006), and Thomas Larcher (in a work to be premiered in 2008) have composed works for the Artemis Quartet.
In recognition of the ensemble's contribution to the interpretation of Beethoven's music, the Verein des Beethoven-Hauses Bonn conferred honorary membership to the Artemis Quartet in 2003. In 2004 the quartet won the 23rd "Premio Internazionale Accademia Musicale Chigiana" in Siena, Italy.
In 2005 the Artemis Quartet signed an exclusive recording contract with Virgin Classics/EMI which will ultimately result in at least ten recordings over a period of five years. Recent releases include a CD featuring string quartets by Janácek and Dvorák as well as Brahms and Schumann piano quintets with Leif Ove Andsnes. The first recording with the newest members of the ensemble will be a CD of works by Schubert including the Quintet for Two Cellos with Truls Mørk. Recordings by the Artemis Quartet have been awarded the German Record Critics' Award (Deutscher Schallplattenpreis) and Diapason d'Or. In October 2006 the Artemis Quartet's recording of Beethoven’s Opus 95 and Opus 59, No. 1, was awarded Germany's definitive Echo Klassik award for "Chamber Music Recording of the Year."
January 2008
