What a full and moving spring! It opened with the Aris Quartett's debut in Denmark, with concerts in Aarhus and Copenhagen, where the ensemble also celebrated its 1,000th (!) concert – what an intense experience, and a wonderful reward for what is now 17 years of working together!
In mid-March several appearances followed at Heidelberger Frühling – chamber music with Fabian Müller as well as together with "The Trinity Sinfonia". The Elbphilharmonie Hamburg then brought a special premiere: for the first time the quartet performed with saxophonist Asya Fateyeva in an unusual but thoroughly exciting program – and the Elbphilharmonie is always worth a visit anyway! And as if that weren't enough, a crossover project awaited the ensemble in Duisburg at the Eigenzeit Festival, in which it devoted itself to the songs of Rabindranath Tagore in new arrangements, together with singer Kamalini Mukherji, mandolinist Avi Avital and Indian musicians – a fascinating, transcultural experience!
Yet the spring also brought deeply sad news: the sudden passing of our longtime quartet teacher and mentor Günter Pichler has affected us profoundly. Especially during our studies in Madrid, he shaped us as musicians and as people like almost no one else – we owe him more than words can say, and we will miss him dearly.
