Günter Pichler

Violinist, Teacher, Conductor

The Alban Berg Quartett

Alban Berg Quartett

Günter Pichler, Violine

Gerhard Schulz, Violine

Thomas Kakuska, Viola

Valentin Erben, Violoncello

For nearly 40 years the Alban Berg Quartett has performed regularly in music capitals and major festivals throughout the world. They had their own concert series at the Vienna Konzerthaus (where they made their debut in 1971 and where they are now Honorary Members), at the Royal Festival Hall London, ( where theyare Associate Artists ) , at the Opera Zurich, the Alte Oper Frankfurt, the Philharmonie in Cologne, the Theatre des Champs Elysees in Paris and the Auditorio National in Madrid. Since they were founded the Alban Berg Quartett have been prolific recording artists and have received over thirty major international awards, including the Grand Prix du Disque, the Deutsche Schallplattenpreis, the Edison Prize, the first International Classical Music Award, the Japan Grand Prix, and the Gramophone Magazine Award. Public and critics regard many of these recordings as definitive alike.
Among their many recording projects have been the complete quartets by Beethoven, Brahms, Berg, Webern and Bartok, the complete late Mozart and late Schubert quartets, Haydn, Dvorak, Schumann, Ravel, Debussy, Stravinsky, von Einem and Haubenstock-Ramati, as well as live recordings from the Carnegie Hall, New York, the Opera Comique in Paris, the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London and particularly from the Konzerthaus in Vienna. Following their original Beethoven cycle recorded in the studio some years ago, the live recording of their Beethoven cycle at the Konzerthaus during the Vienna Festival in 1989 has been released on CD, video and DVD. The quartet has also made live recordings of works by Janacek, Lutoslawski, Berio, Schnittke, Urbanner and Rihm (most of which are dedicated to the Alban Berg Quartett), Schubert’s late Quartets, the quartets op. 51 and op. 106 of Dvorák, the Mendelssohn’s quartets op. 12 and op. 13 as well as the Piano Quintets by Schumann (with Philippe Entremont), Schubert and Brahms (with Elisabeth Leonskaja) and Dvorak (with Rudolf Buchbinder), Brahms Clarinet Quintet (with Sabine Meyer) and String Quintet op. 111 (with Hariolf Schlichtig), the Mozart’s Piano Quartet in E flat major and Piano Quintet KV 414 with (Alfred Brendel) and, most recently, also live, the “Tango Sensations” of Piazzolla and a world premiere ”Adieu Satie” of the Viennese composer Kurt Schwertsik (both works with Per Arne Glorvigen, Bandoneon).

With this success came a responsibility to understand the composer and to interpret his oeuvre accordingly. " We were delighted that many contemporary composers not only wrote works for us but enjoyed our interpretations and supported us throughout our careere. In the 1980s, Pierre Boulez invited us to his Paris cycle, 'Passage du 20ieme siècle' to perform quartets of the Viennese School and later helped us to establish our own cycle at the Royal Festival Hall (Queen Elizabeth Hall) in London. After the debut performance of his fourth quartet, Alfred Schnittke dedicated this work to us. Luciano Berio told us, after the debut performance of his 'Notturno': “Dear friends, I am forever grateful for your “Notturno” I hope that these small changes are not a problem. I will be in New York. Warmest greatings Luciano”. Witold Lutoslawski thanked us after the performance of his quartet with the following words: “Personally I owe the Alban Berg quartet deep gratitude for an unforgettable event.They played my quartet in Vienna last year in a way that will probably never be equalled.” and issued a statement which has become very dear to our hearts: “The Alban Quartet is without doubt one of the greatest quartets of our time. Their recording of the complete Beethoven quartet cycle is a masterpiece which will serve as a beacon for generations of quartets to come. The Art of Interpretation of the Alban Berg Quartet is universal. Inspiration and perfection, imagination and faithfulness to the partition, great style and perfect taste, everything is there in their playing.”

Press reviews for the Alban Berg Quartett confirm their reputation: ‘Certainly one of the greatest ensembles in chamber music’ (France Soir, Paris), ‘Stunning perfection’ (Washington Post), ‘One of the greatest ensembles of our time’ (San Francisco Chronicle), ‘A wonder by the name of the Alban Berg Quartet’ (Presse, Vienna), ‘Few if any quartets can match their strength and assurance in the Viennese classics and romantics’ (Times), ‘The Alban Berg Quartet have achieved legendary standards in chamber music playing’ (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung), ‘The Alban Berg Quartet overwhelms with Beethoven’ (J. Kaiser, Süddeutsche Zeitung) The world best String Quartet ( Die Zeit)

More important to the quartet than the superlative praise in the press and the enthusiasm of the public is their self-appointed mission of giving the most harmonious interpretation of the works they perform and of extending their repertoire from the classical to the avant-garde; the name ‘Alban Berg’ symbolises this commitment.

In 2005 the quartet suffered a painful loss with the death of their violist Thomas Kakuska. The ABQ continued its concert activities with Isabel Charisius, both out of conviction and in the spirit of Thomas Kakuska.

In October 2006 they performed a memorial concert for Thomas Kakuska in the Main Hall of the Vienna Konzerthaus together with singers and musicians like Magdalena Kožena, Thomas Quasthoff, Angelika Kirchschlager, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Ervin Arditti, Heinrich Schiff, Helmut Deutsch, Sir Simon Rattle. Claudio Abbado conducted an Orchestra consisting of friends of the Quartet, former Students and friends of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. After a worldwide concert tour the ABQ disbanded in July 2008