Christian Tetzlaff (born 29 April 1966) is a German violinist who has performed internationally, with a focus on chamber music.
Christian Tetzlaff | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Tetzlaff playing chamber music in 2022 | |
| Born | 29 April 1966 Hamburg, Germany |
| Occupation | Classical violinist |
Biography
editTetzlaff was born in Hamburg. His parents were amateur musicians and met in a church choir.[1] He began playing the violin and piano at the age of 6, and made his concert debut at 14 years old. He studied with Uwe-Martin Haiberg at the Musikhochschule Lübeck and later with Walter Levin at the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music.
His breakthrough as a soloist came in 1988, at the age of 22, when he performed Schoenberg's Violin Concerto in critically acclaimed concerts with the Cleveland Orchestra and the Munich Philharmonic.[1] The following year he made his solo recital debut in New York City.[2] He has continued to play as a soloist with major orchestras on stage and in recordings, including Beethoven's works for violin and orchestra performed with the Tonhalle Orchester Zürich under David Zinman. He returned to New York in 2011 for a recital with Antje Weithaas at Zankel Hall.[3] 2012 he joined his sister Tanja (cello) and Leif Ove Andsnes (piano) playing Schumann's piano trios, which were awarded.[4] Other critically acclaimed recordings include his 2007 release of Bach's sonatas and partitas for solo violin,[5] and in 2012 his release of three Mozart violin sonatas with Lars Vogt at the Spannungen chamber music festival in Heimbach.[6] His recording of Schumann's violin sonatas with Lars Vogt (piano) was named Gramophone's recording of the month for January 2014.[7] His discography includes a number of modern works such as the violin concertos of György Ligeti and Stuart MacRae.[8]
In 2011 he signed a long-term recording contract with Ondine.[9]
He was the Artist in Residence of the Dresden Philharmonic in the 2018/2019 season and of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra in the year 2019.
Playing style
editTetzlaff plays a contemporary violin by Stefan-Peter Greiner which he has had since 2002, preferring it to his previous Stradivarius instrument. He uses a Peccatte bow, and Vision strings by Thomastik-Infeld in Vienna.[10] He eschews routinely playing the violin with the full, lyrical sound preferred by many of his contemporaries, telling The New Yorker: "The listener loses the ear for the most beautiful sounds if they've been used for arbitrary, non-important things".[1] This approach has occasionally left Tetzlaff open to criticism. The Guardian's critic Andrew Clements argued that his recording of the Schumann piano trios, mentioned above, lacked "any sense of involvement or affection for the music", and that his 2014 release of Shostakovich's violin concertos was sometimes devoid of "character".[1][11]
Tetzlaff suffers from neurodermatitis in his left hand, which can cause extreme pain when the hand's fingers are applied to the strings of a violin. Over the years he has managed the condition in a variety of ways, including by using cotton thimbles to cover his fingers, and more recently by increasing his blood circulation by exercising before performances.[1]
Awards
editMusical America named him Instrumentalist of the Year 2005.[12] In 2012 his Schumann's piano trios (with Leif Ove Andsnes (piano) and his sister Tanja (cello) won the Gramophone Award for best chamber recording.[4]
Selected recordings
edit- Szymanowski: Concerto for violin N° 1, Symphony N° 3 "Chant de la nuit", Christian Tetzlaff, violin, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Singverein Chorus, Steve Davislim, tenor, conducted by Pierre Boulez. OCLC 1184374335 CD Deutsche Grammophon 2009 and 2010. Diapason d'or of the Year 2011
Notes
edit- ^ a b c d e Eichler, Jeremy (27 August 2012). "String Theorist". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on 7 February 2024. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
- ^ VanClay, Mary (2000). Violin Virtuosos. Hal Leonard. p. 79. ISBN 1890490318. Archived from the original on 23 August 2024. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
- ^ "Violinists Wander Into Bartok, and Well Off the Beaten Path" Archived 7 February 2024 at the Wayback Machine by Zachary Woolfe, The New York Times, 2 May 2011
- ^ a b White, Michael (28 September 2012). "Roses, thorns and some surprise names at the Gramophone Awards". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 2 October 2012.
- ^ "Bach, J S: Sonatas & Partitas for solo violin, BWV1001-1006". www.prestoclassical.co.uk. Presto Classical. Archived from the original on 4 October 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
- ^ "Mozart: Sonatas for Piano and Violin". www.prestoclassical.co.uk. Presto Classical. Archived from the original on 4 October 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
- ^ "Schumann: Sonatas for Violin and Piano". Presto Classical. Archived from the original on 28 July 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
- ^ Milsom, David. "Christian Tetzlaff (A–Z of String Players)". www.naxos.com. Naxos.
- ^ Cullingford, Martin. "Christian Tetzlaff signs to Ondine". Gramophone. Archived from the original on 18 October 2018. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ^ BBC television interview, 22 July 2005
- ^ Clements, Andrew (25 September 2014). "Shostakovich: Violin Concertos Nos 1 and 2 CD review – technically perfect". The Guardian.
- ^ Dennis D. Rooney. "Instrumentalist of the Year 2005". musical america worldwide. Archived from the original on 23 August 2024. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
External links
edit- Official website (in German and English)
- Christian Tetzlaff's biography on the website of his North American representation, CM Artists New York
- "Christian Tetzlaff". HarrisonParrott. 5 March 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
- "An Interview with Christian Tetzlaff". van-us.atavist.com. 15 January 2016. Archived from the original on 28 January 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
- Christian Tetzlaff discography at Naxos Records
