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Daniel Stabrawa, First Violin
Christian Stadelmann, Second Violin
Neithard Resa, Viola
Dietmar Schwalke, Cello
Hailed as "Four of the Best" by the British press after
their debut at Wigmore Hall in London two decades ago, the PHILHARMONIA QUARTET
BERLIN has since celebrated a critically acclaimed career, establishing itself
among the world's premier string quartets with 20 years of international concerts
and a large and diverse discography. Their extensive concert calendar has taken
them to destinations throughout Europe, North and South America as well as Asia.
Lord Yehudi Menuhin commented: "I'd like to hear music always played as beautifully
as you play."
Founded in 1984 by the principal concertmaster and the string
section leaders of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the quartet appears regularly
at the world's most prestigious concert halls such as Carnegie Hall or Wigmore
Hall in London. Annual international festival appearances include performances
at the Salzburg Festival. In 2006 the Philharmonia Quartet Berlin has been invited
by his Excellence Pope Benedict XVI to perform a private concert at the Vatican.
The Spanish Royal Family invites the ensemble regularly to the Palacio Real to
play on the royal Stradivari instruments.
The Philharmonia Quartet Berlin enthuses the audiences throughout the world with
their incredible artistry. In particular, the Beethoven and Shostakovich cycle
in the Philharmonie Berlin caused international furor.
The ensemble's discography is quite extensive including recent
recordings of the quartets of Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Shostakovich and
Reger for the Thorofon Classics label. The Reger recording was awarded the German
Record Critics prize. The quartet received two times an "ECHO KLASSIK"
award for Chamber Music for their most recent Beethoven CDs. In 2001 the quartet
was awarded the Argentine Critic Price in Buenos Aires.
Until the sudden death of the violoncellist Jan Diesselhorst in
February 2009 the members Philharmonia Quartet Berlin have never changed. Dietmar
Schwalke is now occupying his place and he and his colleagues will, once again,
demonstrate their superb and exceptional quality of ensemble playing on all stages
of the world.
A native of Krakow, Poland, Daniel Stabrawa is the Principal
Concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. After winning many international
competitions at a very young age and finishing his studies at his hometown Music
Conservatory in the class of Professor Zbigniew Szelezer, he was appointed concertmaster
of the Radio Symphony Orchestra in Krakow in 1979. He joined the Berlin Philharmonic
violin section in 1983 and was appointed concertmaster of the Orchestra in 1986
under Herbert von Karajan. In addition to his orchestral duties he has built a
distinguished career as a soloist and chamber music player. Daniel Stabrawa has
often appeared as a soloist with the Berlin based orchestras in works by Prokofiev,
Weill and Szymanowski and has toured extensively in the United States and Asia.
Together with his wife, pianist Elzbieta Stabrawa he has given many concerts dedicated
to Sonatas and has been an avid supporter and messenger of Karol Szymanowski's
music. Since 1994 Daniel Stabrawa has devoted more time to conducting and at the
beginning of the 1995/1996 season became music director and conductor of the Capella
Bydgostiensis in Bromberg, Germany.
Born in Berlin, Germany, violinist Christian Stadelmann
is the youngest member of the quartet. He started taking violin lessons at an
early age first with Professor Charlotte Hampe and then later graduated from the
Conservatory of Arts in Berlin in the class of Professor Th. Brandis. Christian
Stadelmann has won numerous competitions and was a founding member of the German
Chamber Philharmonic Bremen. After several years with the Young German Philharmonic,
he became a member of the Berlin Philharmonic in 1985 and has led the second violins
of the Berlin Phil since 1987.
A native of Berlin, Neithard Resa, first took violin lessons
with Professor Schwalbe in Berlin before continuing his studies in Cologne with
Professor Max Rostal. Upon his graduation from the music conservatory, he was
awarded a DAAD scholarship (German Foreign Policy Exchange) which gave him the
opportunity to study in the United States with Michael Tree from the Guarnieri
Quartet. In 1978 he won the Young Artists' Competition, the German Music Foundation
and joined the Berlin Philharmonic as principal viola of the Orchestra that same
year.
Dietmar Schwalke was born in Pienneberg in 1958 and started
taking cello lessons at the age of twelve. He first studied in Hamburg with Arthur
Troester, then with Wolfgang Boettcher in Berlin before completing his studies
with Pierre Fournier. In 1981 Dietmar Schwalke made his debut in the Philharmonie
Berlin with the Cello Concerto by Robert Schumann and the RSO Berlin. Before joining
the Berlin Philharmonic in 1994 he played six years in the Kreuzberg String Quartet.
Since 2009 he is a member of the Philhamonia Quartet Berlin.
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