Streichquartett der Staatskapelle Berlin

The Streichquartett der Staatskapelle Berlin (or "Staatskapelle Berlin String Quartet") consists of the string section leaders of the venerable Staatskapelle Berlin. The group has jelled into an ongoing concern and has performed at major venues outside Germany. The Streichquartett der Staatskapelle Berlin was formed in 2017 at the suggestion of Staatskapelle Berlin conductor Daniel Barenboim. The group members, in their own words, seek to combine the artistic standards and tradition of the Staatskapelle with their own very personal diversity. The four members since the group's inception have been Wolfram Brandl, Krzysztof Specjal, Yulia Deyneka, and Claudius Popp. The quartet played its first concert at the then-new Boulez Saal in Berlin, and it has continued to perform there frequently. In its early days, the Streichquartett der Staatskapelle Berlin performed a complete cycle of Schubert quartets, but it has expanded its repertory and plays a variety of works from the Classical to the contemporary period. The quartet has performed chamber music with a variety of guests, including cellist Frans Helmerson, clarinetist Jörg Widmann, and sopranos Mojca Erdmann and Christiane Karg. The group has also continued to collaborate with Barenboim and appeared with him on WQXR radio in New York. During the coronavirus lockdowns in 2020, the Streichquartett der Staatskapelle Berlin was heard in the Deutsche Grammophon label's streaming Moment Musical Internet event, performing Schumann's Piano Quintet in E flat major, Op. 44, with Barenboim. The group has performed at the Théâtre des Champs Élysées in Paris, the Auditorio Nacional in Madrid, and in 2022, it made its debut at London's Wigmore Hall. The quartet, with actor Udo Samel, has developed a biographical concert examining the life of composer Leoš Janáček. In 2022, the quartet made its debut recording, featuring quartets by Tchaikovsky, Verdi, and Puccini, on the Linn Records label; the group has often played these opera-related works in concert.
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