Trio Apollon
Matthias Glander, Clarinet
* Felix Schwartz, Viola * Wolfgang
Kühnl, Piano
Press Reviews *
French
CV
The repertoire of Trio Apollon, formed in 1990, concentrates mainly on duo and trio compositions of the Classical and Romantic Periods, from Mozart, Schubert, and Beethoven, through Mendelssohn-Bartholdy to Bruch and Brahms.
Contemporary works by French composers, i.e. César Frank, Claude Debussy, Francis Poulenc or Darius Milhaud, also find a place in this trios contrasting and diverse program.
Especially fascinating are, for example, the combination of Märchenerzählungen by Robert Schumann with the contemporary Hungarian composer György Kurtag's Homageà Schumann, or the comparison of Johannes Brahms' Clarinet Sonata in the original version with Brahms' own viola arrangement.
On numerous occasions, the ensemble extends its repertoire to include voice, suggesting a variety of programming possibilities.
Matthias Glander, clarinet, studied with Hans Radünz at the Hanns Eisler Hochschule für Musik in Berlin. From 1981-83 he continued his studies with Professor Ewald Koch and Oskar Michalik, and later with Karl Leister. In 1983, he became a member of the Staatskapelle Berlin and, in 1985, took over the position of first clarinetist. He has been the first clarinetist for the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra since 1992. He has appeared as both soloist and chamber music artist with numerous orchestras of renown and with chamber music ensembles across the globe. Glander has recently performed chamber music with Yo-Yo Ma and Daniel Barenboim. His engagements include his work in Berlin and Paris with Barenboim as well as soloist appearances under the direction of Otmar Suitner and Sir Yehudi Menuhin. His concert travels have led him to Great Britain, Italy, Japan, France, Hungary, and Australia.
Felix Schwartz, viola, started playing violin at the age of five. He continued at Berlin's Spezialschule für Musik under the guidance of Dorothea Gross and Horst Pietsch. Thereafter, he studied viola from 1983-1990 at the Hanns Eisler Hochschule für Musik in Berlin with Professor Alfred Lipka. Schwartz is two-time prizewinner of the International Music Competition in Geneva and has served as first violist with the Staatskapelle Berlin under conductor Daniel Barenboim since 1988. In 1991 he became a guest viola teacher at the Hanns Eisler Hochschule für Musik. He has led masterclasses for viola in Seoul, Korea since 1993. Schwartz has also been a viola teacher at the Musikhochschule Rostock since 1994 and became a regular professor there in 1998. Through his engagements with the Berliner Streichsextett, the Trio-Apollon, the Petersen Quartet, the Dresden Chamber Orchestra and, not lastly, the Staatskapelle Berlin, he has concertized nearly all over the world.
Wolfgang Kühnl, piano, is lecturer for solo competitions and chamber music at the Hochschule der Künste in Berlin. He studied with Professor Lothar Broddack and in London with Maia Curcio. He also participated in the master classes of Oleg Maisenberg and Georgy Sebok. His collaboration with Aribert Reimann and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau as accompanist at their vocal interpretation courses completed his musical education. Mr. Kühnl focuses most of his time on performing chamber music and accompanying vocalists. He is highly regarded as a duo partner by many instrumentalists and singers, and performs regularly in various ensembles throughout Europe and North America. He is a member of the group Work in Progress, which is dedicated exclusively to premiering contemporary compositions.
The Trio Apollon can be reached through Mr. Uri Zur.
The Trio Apollon can also be seen on their own
website: www.trioapollon.de
"... The ensemble brought Schumann's world of thoughts
to life. The musicians dived expressively into the lyrical spheres of the
Märchenerzählungen..."
Berliner Morgenpost
"... The pianist Wolfgang Kühnl, with appropriate reserve,
gave the soloists their needed space, while leaving no wish unfulfilled in
terms of tone and technique ... Matthias Glander understood how subtly to
bring out the nuances of the clarinet's varied tone registers ... Felix Schwartz
played with a tender viola tone, but also full musical drive ... The trio's
seriousness, concentration, and spiritualisation of the music led to a stunning
interpretation of Johannes Brahms' Trio Op. 40..."
Zwickauer Tageblatt
"... this ensemble has a great future... "
Freie Presse Zwickau
"... Trio Apollon sent tingles down the audience's spine...
Michael Glinka's Trio pathètique was not melodramatically performed;
the trio found a good balance between intense emotions and tasteful noblesse..."
Berliner Morgenpost
"... the three artists displayed their great expressiveness:
with immense energy and drive ... Matthias Glander, Felix Schwartz and Wolfgang
Kühnl conquered the hearts of the audience in the end ... the performance,
played with exactness and emotion, made it easy to surrender oneself totally
to these enchanting compositions "
Ahlsfelder Allgemeine