70th anniversary
„Stunde der Musik“

In the seasons of 2021/22, the Klenke Quartet is celebrating its 30-year anniversary with an unchanged cast. Annegret Klenke (1st violin), Beate Hartmann (2nd violin), Yvonne Uhlemann (viola) und Ruth Kaltenhäuser (violoncello) have established themselves internationally as one of the most significant German string quartets and are renown as “one of the most distinguished European formations” (Gewandhaus-Magazin). The four musicians are all graduates of the Franz Liszt College of Music in Weimar. Their distinctive characters were formed in working with Norbert Brainin (Amadeus Quartet), Ulrich Breetz (Abegg Trio), Harald Schoneweg (Cherubini Quartet), and Sándor Devich (Bártok Quartet). Depth, vocality, and intimate musical play paired with a strong dramatic program and a tonal intensity down to the faintest notes are the basis of the characterization of the Klenke Quartet.

Multiple CD recordings document the extensive work of the Klenke Quartet and have been awarded prizes such as the Choc du Mois, the Midem Classical Award and repeatedly with the Supersonic Award. In addition, the impressive live recordings of the instrumental passion “Die sieben letzten Worte unseres Erlösers am Kreuze” by Joseph Haydn (Berlin Classics, 2008), the complete performance of the Tchaikovsky string quartets (2010) and a Schubert quartet performance (2015), the quartet dedicated themselves to the works of Mozart. Their complete performance of the ten famous string quartets of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Hänssler) was published between 2004 and 2010.

In their newest publication (Accentus Music), they present the complete performance of Mozart’s string quartets with Harald Schoneweg (Cherubini Quartet) and was the recording of the week with the BBC (magazine and radio). The editor of the MDR, Martin Hoffmeister gave a verdict that, “…for me, this recording is the absolute reference.” In 2021, their recording of the Mozart Horn and Clarinet quintets in cooperation with Stephan Katte (horn) and Nicola Jürgensen (clarinet) will be published. All their recordings (except Haydn 2008) were realized in cooperation with SWR in Baden-Baden.

The cooperation with others is an important inspiration for the ensemble. Therefore, the quartet can be seen together with, among others, Martin Stadtfeld, Matthias Kirschnereit as well as the Auryn- and Vogler-Quartet. Together with the actor Axel Milberg, the Klenke Quartet realized complex and atmospheric concert readings. Their exquisite “Auftakt” concert series in Weimar is understood to be a homage to their founding there.

The past years have led the quartet to perform in Iran, in Japan, Austria, Italy, Slovenia, the Netherlands and in multiple German chamber music festivals. A planned tour of Israel in the autumn of 2020 turned, with the support of the Goethe institute, into an exciting digital cooperation with the Israeli pianist Ishay Shaer, whose arrangement of Beethoven’s Rondo for Piano and Orchestra WoO 6 was realized together by the artists.

For a long time, the ensemble has been supporting new music and, for this, is supported in turn by the Mamlok Foundation. In 2021 the Klenke Quartet will present a commissioned piece from composer Helmut Schmidinger titled “Beethoven Reflections” and in 2022 the first performance in Germany of the Detlef Glanert string quartet.

Especially important to the four musicians is the work with children; using children’s and family programs to encourage a young generation to find their enthusiasm for chamber music. Children’s programs have been realized by the Klenke Quartett, among others, in the Tonhalle Düsseldorf, the Cologne Philharmonic, the Luxemburg Philharmonic, the Hamburg Laeisz Hall and the Vienna concert house.

Sebastian Berakdar is regularly performing around Germany and Europe as well as on renowned festivals like Moselmusikfestival, Köthener Bachfesttage, SWR2 Musiksommer and Euregio Festival among others.

Sebastian has given concert in the most prestigious halls Germany as well as in Grazer Musikverein, Salle de la Sorbonne Paris, Hitachi Concert Hall Sendai and others. He has played with various orchestras such as the Staatskapelle Halle, Staatstheater Braunschweig and the Kammerorchester Wernigerode.

With a vast repertoire from Bach to Elliott Carter, chamber music has represented a main point in Sebastian’s career. His first CD with chamber music works for piano and flute was released in 2017 and was rewarded with ‘AUDIOphile Pearl’ award. The premiere recording of ‘Fantasie op.55’ for flute and piano by the Ukrainian composer Carl Frühling claimed special attention of the international critics.

Sebastian is prizewinner of numerous German-national as well as international piano competitions. Further more he is scholar of the German Music Foundation the Yehudi Menuhin Live Music Now Foundation and the Hans-and-Eugenia-Jütting-Foundation.

Sebastian is especially dedicated to the music of Polish composers. In 2010 he received the ‘Chopin-Prize’ of the Chopin Society Leipzig. In 2017 he received the first prize the International Theodor-Leschitzky-Competition of University of Music in Hamburg. He has made live recordings for both German and foreign Radio and Television, such as for the NDR, MDR and SWR in Germany, Radio France or ORF radio in Austria. He is newly appointed artistic director of the Artistic Director of the renowned concert series ‘Stunde der Musik’ in Halle(Saale).

Sebastian profited of the work with distinguished artists such as as Lee Kum Sing, Einar Steen-Nøkleberg, Malcolm Bilson, Jean-Claude Pennetier and Matti Raekallio and took part in masterclasses of ‘Académie Musicale de Villecroze’ and the ‘Summer Academy of Mozarteum Salzburg’.

Sebastian Berakdar was born in Freiburg (Breisgau). He holds Bachelor and Master Degrees from Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover where he studied with Ewa Kupiec. Since 2017 he was continuing his studies at University Mozarteum Salzburg with Pietro de Maria.