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860 486 4226 JORGENSEN.UCONN.EDU Thursday, February 15, 2018, 7:30 pm University of Connecticut School of Fine Arts Anne D'Alleva, Dean Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts Rodney Rock, Director

presents the Philharmonic

PROGRAM

Adagio e Rondo Concertante, D. 487 Franz Schubert Adagio Rondo: Allegro vivace

Piano Quartet Op. 1 in A Minor Josef Suk Allegro appassionato Adagio Allegro con fuoco

Intermission

Piano Quartet – World Premiere Tour Danny Elfman Ein Ding Kinderspott Duett fur Vier Ruhig Die Wolfjungen

Piano Quartet No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 25 Allegro Intermezzo: Allegro ma non troppo – Trio: Animato Andante con moto Rondo all Zingarese: Presto

– Please hold applause between movements –

Columbia Artists Management LLC 1790 Broadway New York, NY 10019-1412 (212) 841-9500 www.cami.com PIANO QUARTET

Andreas Buschatz, Matthew Hunter, Knut Weber, Markus Groh, piano

The Berlin Philharmonic Piano Quartet, one of the few existing ensembles of that instrumentation, has existed as a Berlin Philharmonic ensemble since 1985. This highly praised group is a collaboration between three award-winning permanent members of the Berliner Philharmoniker: Konzertmeister Andreas Buschatz, violist Matthew Hunter, and cellist Knut Weber, along with the renowned concert pianist Markus Groh.

This outstanding ensemble is committed to not only representing the standard repertoire of classical, romantic and modern pieces, but also finding undiscovered masterpieces of the literature that encompasses over 400 works.

Andreas Buschatz, violin

Andreas Buschatz received his first instruction on the violin when he was just 6 years old. In 1992, as a young student, he joined Wolfgang Rausch’s class at the Detmold Hochschule für Musik and in 1999 became a student of Thomas Brandis at the Berlin Hochschule der Künste. He was the recipient of a prestigious grant from Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes (the German National Academic Foundation).

Buschatz went on to take the position of deputy leader of Berlin’s Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester, and then became Concertmaster of the Deutsche Kammervirtuosen of Berlin. In October 2010 he was named the Concertmaster of the Berliner Philharmoniker. He has appeared as soloist with ensembles including the Westphalian Symphony Orchestra, Bremen State Philharmonic Orchestra and the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Mainz State Theatre.

Awards: First prize at the Jakob Stainer Violin Competition (1991), First prize in the German national competition Jugend musiziert (1994), first prize at the Ibolyka Gyarfas Violin Competition (2000). Matthew Hunter, viola

Matthew Hunter was 26 when he discovered the viola. He was pursuing the career of violinist and had devised a special training program for that instrument: if he could play Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in tune on the larger viola, then – according to his theory – the piece would be child’s play for him on the violin. He became so infatuated with the viola’s dark chocolate tone that he made the switch over to the deeper instrument. Shortly after that he won the Gee International Viola Competition.

Hunter, who began music lessons at the age of seven, cites as his formative teachers Julian Olevsky, Roman Totenberg (former assistant to in Berlin), Michael Tree and Jaime Laredo. In 1985 he became Masao Kawasaki’s assistant at Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music. He also earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy at Dartmouth College as well as a Master of Music and Artist’s Diploma. Matthew Hunter came to the Berliner Philharmoniker from Ottawa, where from 1991-95 he was associate principal viola of Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra. He is a versatile musician, who also plays the guitar (for example in performances of ’s Seventh Symphony), makes arrangements and plays in several Philharmonic chamber ensembles, including the Berlin Philharmonic Stradivari Soloists. Since 2003, he has also been on the teaching staff of Berlin’s Hanns Eisler Hochschule für Musik.

Awards: First prize in the Gee International Viola Competition (1986), Citation of Excellence of the University of Massachusetts (1998).

Knut Weber, cello

Knut Weber received his first musical training from the Slovenian cellist Milos Mlejnik. He studied in Cologne with the Alban Berg Quartet and Claus Kanngiesser as well as with Wolfgang Boettcher in Berlin, where in 2002 he passed his concert exam with distinction.

Weber went on to become a scholar and principal cellist of the Youth Orchestra before being engaged by the Berliner Philharmoniker. He is a member of the “12 Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic” and also appears regularly as a soloist and in various chamber ensembles in Europe, Asia, and North and South America.

Awards: Prizewinner in the German national competition Jugend musiziert, winner of the Liezen International Cello Competition (1995), Pörtschach Brahms Competition (1996) and Domenico Gabrielli Competition of Berlin (1999).

Markus Groh, piano

Within little more than a decade German born pianist Markus Groh has established himself as one of the most versatile pianists of his generation, after having won the 1st prize in the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Competition Brussels in Belgium, 1995. His worldwide concert activities include performances with the London Symphony, the , the , the Philadelphia Orchestra, the National Symphony Washington D.C., the San Francisco Symphony, the New Japan Philharmonic and the St. Petersburg Philharmonic under such distinguished conductors as Ivan Fischer, Neeme Jaervi, Fabio Luisi, Kent Nagano, Jonathan Nott and David Robertson.

Markus Groh performs solo recitals all over the world in some of the most important venues of cities like Amsterdam, Athens, Berlin, Brussels, Frankfurt, London, Munich, New York, Tokyo, Toronto, Vancouver, Vienna, Washington D.C. and Zurich. His first SACD Solo recording featured the B Minor Sonata, the Fantasy and Fugue on B-A-CH and the Totentanz of Franz Liszt and received outstanding reviews in major newspapers (The Times, FAZ among others) as well as in major music magazines including critic's awards like “Editor's Choice” (Gramophone Magazine, U.K.), “Recording of the month” (Musicweb International, USA), “Supersonic Award” (Pizzicato, Luxemburg), and “6 of 6 points” (Piano News, Germany). A second all-Brahms SACD was showered with rave reviews as well. It received awards like the Star of the Month of the most important German Music Magazine FonoForum in 2008. Mr. Groh lives in Berlin and New York.