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Kathrin Feldmann-Uhlkf@karstenwitt.com+49 30 214 594-241
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Outstanding reviews for the Armida Quartet's recording of works by Max Reger and Johanna Senfter.
In the first edition of our new kwmm podcast series "Encore," violinist Johanna Staemmler chats about the Armida Quartet's complete Mozart recordings while we listen to the interpretations together (in German).
Congratulations to the Armida Quartet: the final CD of the complete Mozart recordings is currently receiving critical acclaim, and the previously released Volume 4 even receives an Opus Klassik award.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Quintettsatz F-Dur für Klarinette, Bassetthorn und Streichtrio KV 580b
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Streichquartett in C-Dur KV 465 (Dissonanzenquartett)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Clarinet Quintet in A major, K. 581
Armida Quartett
Sabine Meyer, clarinet
Robert Schumann, Poems of Queen Maria Stuart 0p. 135
Leoš Janáček, String Quartet No. 2 "Intimate Letters"
Brett Dean, Madame ma bonne soeur for String Quartet and Mezzo Soprano
Lotte Betts-Dean, mezzo-soprano
Robert Schumann, String Quartet No. 3 in A major, Op. 41
Johannes Brahms, Clarinet Quintet op. 115 B minor
Franz Schubert, Streichquartett g-Moll
Franz Schubert, String Quartet No. 15 in G major D 887
Ludwig van Beethoven, To the distant beloved, Op. 98
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Streichquartett Es-Dur KV 428
Robert Schumann, Dichterliebe Op. 48
Benjamin Appl, baritone
Martin Funda, violin Johanna Staemmler, violin Teresa Schwamm-Biskamp, viola Peter-Philipp Staemmler, violoncello
All four works vibrate with concentration, intensity, emotion and beauty, with the beginnings of the compositions in particular being events in themselves, which the quartet knows how to develop and process in a contrasting and breathtaking way. Mannheimer Morgen, Susanne Kaulich, April 2024
Touching, virtuoso, captivating - the Armida Quartet is one of the leading German string quartets of the younger generation. Founded in Berlin in 2006, the award-winning quartet has been playing in the same formation ever since and has developed a distinctive ensemble sound, a synergetic interaction on a common breath: clear and transparent, at the same time intense and powerfully flowing with extremely precise timing. The Armida Quartet's musical expertise, expressiveness and energy on stage are unique - they know how to ignite a spark in the audience.
Their spectacular success at the 2012 ARD International Music Competition, where the quartet was awarded first prize, the audience prize and six other special prizes, marked the beginning of a unique career. After concerts and radio recordings as BBC New Generation Artists (2014-16) and subsequently as ECHO Rising Stars (2016/17), the musicians have made a name for themselves in the most famous chamber music halls in Europe, Asia and the USA. In addition to appearances at major European festivals such as the Rheingau Music Festival, the Schwetzingen SWR Festival, the Beethovenfest Bonn and the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival, the quartet has enjoyed great success at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the Berlin Philharmonie, and at London's Wigmore Hall, where they are regular guests,
Highlights of the 2025/26 season include concerts with the clarinettist Sabine Meyer in Neumarkt and at the Berlin Philharmonie, the first part of a three-year tour of Italy with a Schubert cycle and the re-invitation to the Schwetzingen SWR Festival.
Other artistic partners of the quartet include musicians such as Alexander Melnikov, Martin Helmchen, Julian Steckel, Benjamin Appl, Kit Armstrong, Nils Mönkemeyer, Maximilian Hornung, and Kilian Herold. There is a special connection to the Serbian composer Marko Nikodijević, whose first and second string quartets were premiered by the Armida Quartet. They studied with former members of the Artemis Quartet and Rainer Schmidt (Hagen Quartet) and owe important impulses to Reinhard Goebel, Alfred Brendel, Marek Janowski and Tabea Zimmermann.
The quartet is known for its exceptional Mozart expertise: Together with G. Henle Verlag, they have collaborated on a new edition of his string quartets. The complete recording for CAvi, which was released at the same time, received rave reviews, with the quartet setting new standards for Mozart's chamber music (NDR Kultur) and leading the way for Mozart interpretation in the 21st century (Klassik Heute). The fourth album of the complete recording of Mozart's string quartets, which has been available in five volumes since 2023, was awarded the Opus Klassik.
The ensemble members teach at renowned German universities and hold masterclasses both domestically and internationally. They are also actively involved in social and educational projects. The quartet places particular importance on sustainability and climate protection: as the first chamber music ensemble, the Armida Quartet was appointed ambassador of the organization "Orchester des Wandels" (Orchestra of Change), a climate and nature conservation initiative founded by members of various professional orchestras.
In addition to the complete recording of Mozart's string quartets, the quartet's discography includes their debut CD with works by Bartók, Ligeti and Kurtág, released by CAvi in 2013, which immediately made it onto the best list of the German Record Prize. A recording with works by Beethoven and Shostakovich was also released by CAvi in 2016, followed by Fuga Magna with works by Scarlatti, Bach, Goldberg, Mozart and Beethoven in 2017. The quartet has also contributed to various compilations of contemporary works by Samy Moussa, Ursula Mamlok, Birke J. Bertelsmeier and Milica Djordjević, among others. With two recordings in 2023, both also released by CAvi, the quartet shows its late Romantic side: clarinet quintets by Max Reger and his pupil Johanna Senfter with Kilian Herold, frequent guest solo clarinettist with the Berliner Philharmoniker, as well as piano quintets by César Franck and Frank Martin with pianist Martin Klett. Both recordings have been acclaimed by the press, and the Reger-Senfter recording was longlisted by the German Record Critics.
The choice of the ensemble's name emphasises its passion for quartet playing: Armida refers to an opera by Joseph Haydn, the “father of the string quartet”.
This biography is to be reproduced without any changes, omissions, or additions, unless expressly authorised by the artist management.
IMozart String Quartet No. 19 KV 465 DissonanceMarko Nikodijević String Quartet No. 2 (WP 2019)Dvořák String Quartet in As major, Op. 105
IIMendelssohn Capriccio No. 3 in E minor, Op. 81 Janáček String Quartet No. 2 Intimate LettersSchubert String Quartet No. 13 in A minor, Op. 29 D 804 Rosamunde
IIIBeethoven String Quartet in G major, Op. 18/2 or in D major, Op. 18/3György Kurtág 12 Microludes, Op. 13Schubert String Quartet No. 15 in G major, D 887
MOZART only
All Mozart quartets for example:No. 14 KV 387, No. 21 KV 575, No. 19 KV 465 Dissonance
BERLIN, BERLIN
Pierre Vachon String Quartet Op. 11Paul Hindemith String Quartet No. 4 Op. 22Ursula Mamlok String Quartet No. 1Fanny Hensel String Quartet E flat major
Short stories - with moderation through the quartet evening
Bach: Chorale movement BWV 668Britten: Burlesque Three DivertimentiPuccini: CrisantemiRosy Wertheim: String Quartet 3rd movement Hindemith: Overture of the Flying DutchmanGubaidulina: Reflections on B-A-C-H for String Quartet Mendelssohn: Capriccio Op. 81/3Joaquín Turina: La oracion del torero Op. 34Stravinsky: Three pieces for String QuartetShostakovich: Two pieces for String Quartet
QUARTET +
An die ferne Geliebte with Benjamin Appl, Baritone
Beethoven: An die Ferne Geliebte (arr. for String Quartet)Schumann: String Quartet No. 3 A major or Beethoven String Quartet N.N.Schumann: Dichterliebe Op. 48 (arr. for String Quartet)
Winterreise with Benjamin Appl, Baritone
Schubert's Winterreise (arr. for String Quartet) combined with György Kurtág's 12 Microludes
Maria Stuart with Lotte Betts-Dean, Mezzo-soprano
Schumann: Three Poems of Queen Mary Stuart, Op.135 (arr. Brett Dean)Janáček: String Quartet No. 2 Intimate lettersBrett Dean: Madame ma bonne soeur for String Quartet and Mezzo-sopranoafter letters by Mary Stuart (1542 - 1587), in french language(WP Oxford Lieder / Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern premieres 2021)
Late Romantic Clarinet Quintets with Kilian Herold, Clarinet
Johanna Senfter: Clarinet Quintet in B major, Op. 119Max Reger: Clarinet Quintet in A major, Op. 146
(Programme suggestions for the 2024/25 season. Subject to alterations.Further programmes on request)
“Mozart's Clarinet Quintet becomes an event, a treasure. The melody in the Larghetto unfolds as if enraptured by the world, intoned by cherubic angels, merging intensely with the strings - a perfect symbiosis!“
Westfälische Nachrichten, Christoph Schulte im Walde, 7 Mai 2025 (about Sabine Meyer's farewell concert at the Münster Theatre)
“From the very first note, the Armida Quartet cast a spell over the audience. The Berliners' unerring confidence in playing together - coupled with great technical superiority - allowed them to leave behind the cliché of the merely ‘beautiful’ Mozart. Rather, the enormous range of expressive possibilities, especially the multi-layered, extremely differentiated dynamics - from the finest triple piano to far-reaching, intense forte passages - was inspiring. Added to this was an imaginative variety of articulation and well thought-out phrasing: sometimes with floating lightness, sometimes in wonderfully played lines, then again with stupendous, life-affirming virtuosity. The quartet always played in the service of the work, always allowing the audience to share in the fascinating richness of Mozart's language."
Tagblatt St. Gallen, Hermann Ostendarp, 21 February 2025
"The opening matinee of the Schwetzingen SWR Festival was deservedly given the honour of a live broadcast. The Armida Quartet confirmed its reputation as soulful perfectionists with a special ensemble chemistry in the sold-out Mozart Hall at the palace. Leos Janácek's autobiographical late work “Intimate Letters” was a perfect example of how well the quartet's precision work, which is trained in the classical repertoire, works, especially in emotionally charged confessional music. And the Armida Quartet's irresistibly elegant and vital Dissonance Quartet whetted the appetite for their already award-winning complete Mozart recording."
Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung, Klaus Roß, 30 April 2024
"The interpretational bar for this absolutely masterful late work is dizzyingly high. One would therefore think that it could hardly be better, more intense and more intimate. But the Armida Quartet and Kilian Herold (...) manage the miracle of raising the bar even higher. Every little detail really "speaks" here. The musicians make the quasi-self-referential unity of the work, in which every note corresponds with every other, comprehensible in such a delightful way that it takes your breath away. (...) Kilian Herold and the Armida Quartet provide goosebump moments here."
Fono Forum, Burkhard Schäfer - on the CD "Max Reger & Johanna Senfter: Clarinet Quintets" (CAvi), November 2023
"An excellent interpretation, which brings out the variety of tones in this music with marvellous curves of movement and an intense penetration of every motif."
pizzicato, Remy Franck - on the CD "Max Reger & Johanna Senfter: Clarinet Quintets" (CAvi), November 2023
"For the performances, I have nothing but praise, especially over the range of dynamics that truly extends from ppp to fff, taking us from delicate lyricism to overwhelming majesty. The balance between the musicians is good throughout, and the virtuosity under perfect control."
BBC Music Magazine, Roger Nichols - on the CD "Franck & Martin Piano Quintets", July 2023
“Armida Quartet is at the top of its game, and has retained a freshness of approach that befits the youthful Mozart. With crisp articulation and a sophisticated use of vibrato, the players come close to an ideal synthesis of period practice and modern instrumental set-up.”
The Strad, Carlos María Solare, May 2022
“Armida’s sparkling corporate intonation and textural litheness prove especially beguiling. They also judge immaculately the fine line that exists between over-inflating Mozart’s early music and making it sound lightweight. This is partly a question of precision balancing between the various lines, so that it feels as though the music is virtually inventing itself as it goes along."
BBC Music Magazine, March 2022
"With fine nuances in sound, dynamics, and articulation, the ensemble enlivens the music and its colors. ... The members of the Armida Quartet play all of this with that mixture of care and freshness that is only possible through intensive study of the works. One senses that the Mozart style has become second nature to them ... The recording goes a step beyond the energy level of the great Hagen recording from the 1980s and in turn sets new standards."
Fono Forum, Marcus Stäbler, March 2022 - on the CD "Mozart String Quartets" Vol. 4
"The latest instalment in the Armida’s ongoing Mozart quartet series is a triumph, both musically and technically. Encapsulating the best of all worlds, the Armida play with the exquisite nuancing of the finest oldschool outfits, yet with a take-nothing-for-granted interpretative inquisitiveness that takes historically informed practice to a whole new level."
BBC Classical Music Magazine, Julian Haylock, March 2021 - on the CD "Mozart String Quartets" Vol. 3
"A musically enchanting technically exemplary interpretation of six Mozart quartets from different creative periods. Exactly how Mozart should sound in the 21st Century!"
klassik-heute, Thomas Baack, Januar 2021 - on the CD "Mozart String Quartets" Vol. 3
"Never before has the subtlety of Mozart’s tonal language struck me in this way; never before have I had such a colourful and surprisingly nuanced encounter with Mozart’s Quartettsatz. Everything is interpreted by this quartet so freshly and with such a natural effortlessness. Mozart interpretation and quartet playing at its finest hour."
klassik-heute, Christof Jetzschke, November 2019 - on the CD "Mozart String Quartets" Vol. 2
"Throughout the programme, the Armida performed with the excellent reputation that precedes them with an interpretation close to perfection and with a contrasted reading from start to finish - their pianissimi takes ones breath away."
Diario ABC, Pep Gorgori, November 2019
And what a climactic performance this Beethoven is; hardly tamed in its rawness, its barely tonal confusion of voices carrying a slender, Classical beauty of thought which has the effect of linking it right back to everything that has gone before. It´s wonderful stuff. Truly one to both savour and admire.“
Gramophone, Charlotte Gardner, October 2018 - on the CD "Fuga Magna"
Leoš Janáček: String Quartet No. 2 "Intimate Letters" (Excerpts)
Recorded live in January 2024 at Wigmore Hall
Robert Schumann: String Quartet A Major op. 41/3, 2nd mvt. Assai agitato
Recorded live in January 2023 at HMDK Stuttgart
MOZART String Quartets complete
MOZART Vol. 5
Mozart: String Quartet G Major K. 387
Beethoven: Große Fuge, O 133 B Major
Mozart: String Quartet No. 22 in B Major K. 589
Mozart: String Quartets Vol. 2 (KV 80, 458 und 499)
Armida Quartett: Fuga Magna (Mai 2017)
Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 10 A flat major
Franghiz Ali-Zadeh, Mugam-Sayagi
Marko Nikodijević: Tiefenrausch
Armida Quartett, Kilian Herold
CAvi, DDD, 2023, 4260085535330
Armida Quartett, Martin Klett
CAvi, DDD, 2022, 4260085535279
Armida QuartettCAvi, 2023, 4260085535231
Armida QuartetCavi, 2022, 4260085534968
Armida QuartetCavi, 2021, 4260085532056
Armida QuartettCAvi, 2020, 4260085530328
Armida QuartettCAvi, 2019, 4260085534449
Armida Quartett, Raphael Alpermann (Cembalo)CAvi, 2017, 4260085533800
Armida Quartett, Ensemble Recherche, Symphonieorchesterdes Bayerischen Rundfunks, Peter RundelCOL, 2017, 40417
Armida Quartett, Ensemble ModernCOL, 2016, 40414
Armida QuartettCAvi, 2016, 4260085533688
Armida QuartettCAvi, 2015, 4260085533183
Armida Quartett, Ewa Kupiec (Piano)Randall Meyers, 2015
Armida QuartettCAvi, 2013, 4260085532988
Armida Quartett, Spectrum Concerts BerlinNaxos, 2013, 5434161
Armida Quartett, Emanuele Torquati, Radio SymphonieorchesterWien, Deutsches Symphonieorchester Berlin, Kent NaganoCOL, 2013, 6318112