Artemis Quartet
Thomas Kakuska (viola)
Valentin Erben (cello)
Truls Mork (cello)
Henrik Wiese (flute)
Leif Ove Andsnes (piano)
Elisabeth Leonskaja (piano)
Jacques Ammon (piano)

Works

Beethoven, Ludwig van

Grosse Fuge in B flat major, op.133
Piano Sonata no.9 in E major, op.14 no.1 (arr. for string quartet in F major)
String Quartets (complete) (16)

Berg, Alban

Lyric Suite (for string quartet)
Piano Sonata, op.1 (arr. Heime Muller for string sextet)

Brahms, Johannes

Piano Quintet in F minor, op.34
String Quartet no.1 in C minor, op.51 no.1
String Quartet no.2 in A minor, op.51 no.2
String Quartet no.3 in B flat major, op.67

Dvorak, Antonin

String Quartet no.12 in F major, op.96 B179 'American'
String Quartet no.13 in G major, op.106 B192

Janacek, Leos

String Quartet no.2 'Intimate Letters'

Ligeti, Gyorgy

String Quartet no.1 'Metamorphoses nocturnes'
String Quartet no.2

Mendelssohn, Felix

String Quartet no.2 in A minor, op.13
String Quartet no.3 in D major, op.44 no.1
String Quartet no.6 in F minor, op.80

Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus

Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail, K384

» Overture (arr. for flute and string quartet)

Flute Quartet no.1 in D major, K285
Flute Quartet no.2 in G major, K285a
Flute Quartet no.3 in C major, K285b
Flute Quartet no.4 in A major, K298
La clemenza di Tito, K621

» Overture (arr. for flute and string quartet)

Piazzolla, Astor

Concierto para Quinteto
Fuga y misterio
Suite del Angel
The Four Seasons (Las Cuatro Estaciones Portenas)

Schoenberg, Arnold

Verklarte Nacht (Transfigured Night), op.4 (sextet version)

Schubert, Franz

Schumann, Robert

Piano Quintet in E flat major, op.44

Shostakovich, Dmitri

Piano Quintet in G minor, op.57
String Quartet no.5 in B flat major, op.92
String Quartet no.7 in F sharp minor, op.108

Strauss, Richard

Capriccio, op.85

» String Sextet

Webern, Anton

Movements (5) for string quartet, op.5

Wolf, Hugo

Italienische Serenade (Italian Serenade) in G major

Zemlinsky, Alexander von

String Quartet no.1 in A major, op.4

Artists

Artemis Quartet
Thomas Kakuska (viola)
Valentin Erben (cello)
Truls Mork (cello)
Henrik Wiese (flute)
Leif Ove Andsnes (piano)
Elisabeth Leonskaja (piano)
Jacques Ammon (piano)

About

Intense, passionate and impeccable in its musical disciplines, the Berlin-based Artemis Quartet “consistently finds a balance between projecting musical structure and conveying immediacy.” Confirming that verdict from the New York Times is this 23-CD collection, encompassing all the recordings the ensemble made between 1996 and 2018.

The Artemis Quartet began life in 1989 and developed a particular reputation in the central Austro-German repertoire. If Beethoven justly asserts a powerful presence, the scope of this collection extends as far as Eastern Europe and South America and well into the 20th century. Over the period of nearly a quarter of a century documented in this box, there were changes in the Artemis Quartet’s lineup, but as founding cellist Eckart Runge explains, this “brought new inspiration – an opportunity to broaden horizons and introduce fresh ideas.” The ensemble suffered a tragic loss with the untimely death of violist Friedemann Weigle in 2015. Just days earlier, the Artemis had completed a recording of Dvořák’s lyrical and poignant “American” Quartet; it is now released for the very first time. This landmark box is completed by a comprehensive booklet which includes reminiscences from members of the Artemis Quartet and from sound engineers who collaborated with them.

The box contains the entirety of the Artemis Quartet’s Warner Classics catalogue (originally recorded for Virgin Classics and then Erato); in addition, there are radio co-productions from 1996, 1997 and 2000 which have been licensed to Warner Classics for this collection (a total of 3 CDs).

Beyond quartets, the box contains performances of quintets and sextets. The Artemis Quartet’s partners include viola player Thomas Kakuska and cellist Valentin Erben (both members of the Alban Berg Quartett), cellist Truls Mørk, flautist Henrik Wiese, and pianists Leif Ove Andsnes, Elisabeth Leonskaja and Jacques Ammon.

The recording with Andsnes of piano quintets by Schumann and Brahms won a Gramophone Award in 2008. The magazine called the Schumann “the new benchmark – a Schumann Quintet for the 21st century,” and lauded “full-blooded, joyous performances revealing the inner truth of the music without artifice or affectation. All in all, a superb contribution to the chamber recording canon.”

The comprehensive booklet for the box, written by the Artemis former agent Sonia Simmenauer, includes reminiscences from members of the Quartet and from sound engineers who collaborated with the ensemble.