Aron Quartet

Vienna's Aron Quartett began with specializations in the First and Second Viennese Schools but has since recorded a varied quartet repertory. The group has recorded for the CPO and Cascavelle labels. The Aron Quartett, which often stylizes its name in all lowercase letters, was formed in 1998 in Vienna by violinists Ludwig Müller and Barna Kobori, violist Georg Hamann, and cellist Christophe Pantillon. As of the early 2020s, the group's lineup had remained constant. The group had instruction or inspiration from a variety of top-notch chamber music players, including the members of the Alban Berg Quartet, violinists Isaac Stern and Sándor Végh, and violist William Primrose. The Aron Quartett made its debut in Vienna shortly after its founding, announcing plans to focus on the music of the Second Viennese School in addition to traditional quartet repertory. That led to an invitation from the Arnold Schoenberg Center in Vienna to serve as artists-in-residence; there, the group organized a cycle of concerts covering music of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. Just a year after its formation, the quartet released an album of works by Schubert, Schoenberg, Mozart, and Viktor Ullmann. In 2002, the Aron Quartett released an album featuring Schubert's String Quartet No. 13 in A minor, D. 804 ("Rosamunde"), and String Quartet No. 14 in D minor, D. 810 ("Death and the Maiden"). The Aron Quartett found itself in international demand within a few years of its founding. The group made its debut at Carnegie Hall in New York in 2001, following that up with appearances at Wigmore Hall in London and the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow in 2002, and Vienna's Musikverein in 2004. At the latter venue, the quartet performed the complete string quartets (and the piano quintet) of Erich Korngold in a 2007 cycle. In 2008, the Aron Quartett founded the Laudon Castle (Schloss Laudon) Chamber Music Festival, dedicated to performing selected works by composers who were persecuted by Germany's Nazi regime. The quartet has been especially popular at festivals, having appeared around Europe and as far afield as Argentina and Israel. With a 2010 album of works by Korngold, the group began an association with the CPO label; the quartet has also recorded for Cascavelle. By 2023, when the Aron Quartett released an album of chamber music by Bruno Walter on CPO, its recording catalog comprised more than ten items.
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