15/03/2019
Last Album with the Artemis Quartet, featuring Elisabeth Leonskaja
For his final album in his large discography with the Artemis quartet Eckart Runge chose the rather intimately lyrical 5th and 7th quartets by Dimitri Shostakovich, as well as the great piano quintet. Rather late, in the third decade of the quartet’s history, previously being marked by the Austro-hungarian tradition of Bartok, Ligeti and the second Viennese School, this music had become a treasured repertoire of the group. Teaming up with the legendary Russian pianist Elisabeth Leonskaja, being the only partner having played all of the ensemble’s line-ups, Eckart Runge and his colleagues payed tribute to a long and intense artistic friendship.
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01/04/2019
Farewell Artemis Quartet Tour
In an international tour Eckart Runge and the Artemis line-up 2016-2019 bid farewell to their longterm audiences. Concerts took place in Berlin, Munich, Stockholm, Florenz, Naples, Brussels, Utrecht, London, Hamburg, Montreal and New York some of which concert-series had hosted the quartet regularly since 25 years.
01/08/2019
Artemis Quartet announces the successors of Anthea Kreston and Eckart Runge from June 2019
To mark the 30th anniversary of the Artemis Quartet in 2019, two new players will join the ensemble. As announced last September, founding member Eckart Runge is to leave the Artemis Quartet after the final concerts in the ensemble’s current constellation in May 2019, alongside violinist Anthea Kreston. From June 2019, she will be succeeded by Suyoen Kim; Harriet Krijgh has been appointed as cellist. As with the original members Natalia Prishepenko, Heime Müller, Volker Jacobsen and Eckart Runge, the two violinists Vineta Sareika and Suyoen Kim will alternate in the first chair position.
Gregor Sigl states: “We are delighted and hugely excited to welcome Suyoen Kim and Harriet Krijgh, two wonderful musical personalities and outstanding instrumentalists, to the Artemis Quartet! As with previous changes, we now face the challenge once again of preserving the musical heritage of all previous members of the Artemis Quartet – a legacy of unconditional commitment going back more than thirty years – with our new partners. At the same time, in our common pursuit of musical excellence, we aim to challenge this legacy and expand on it.”
The Artemis Quartet will perform eight concerts throughout Europe in May and June 2019, both to celebrate its 30th anniversary and also to introduce the two new members. For each concert, the first part of the programme features works for string sextet, with departing members Anthea Kreston and Eckart Runge as guests. The second part presents the quartet exclusively in its future constellation of Vineta Sareika, Suyoen Kim, Gregor Sigl and Harriet Krijgh. The first anniversary concert takes place in Bremen on May 2nd. Further performances are planned in Berlin, Munich and Vienna, as well as in Paris, and at the Schwetzingen Festival.
09/04/2018
Farewell and New Challenges
The privilege to play, work and share such a long precious time of my life with so many wonderful colleagues, partners, audiences, and the greatest repertoire ever, makes me deeply grateful.
Shortly after my decision, my colleague Anthea Kreston also announced to resign as second violin.
Fortunately the Artemis Quartet, took the decision to take on this challenge and is about to regroup wonderfully, which will be announced shortly.
As the numerous previous Artemis’ changes, have always proven, I am deeply convinced of another successful chapter in the quartet’s history, adding new qualities and yet maintaining the ensemble’s character .
I am looking very much forward to this fair-well season as well as the time to follow, hoping to seeing all, to whom I feel so attached throughout my three decades in the Artemis Quartet, very soon again!
09/01/2019
Debut in the Elbphilharmonie
Sharing the stage of the big hall with his piano partner Jacques Ammon, the emergent saxophonist Asya Fateyewa and Danish accordionist Andreas Borregaard, Eckart Runge will take part in the renowned ‘Hamburg Musikfest’. Other guests at this remarkable marathon of chamber music on September 23rd include Menachem Pressler, Raphael Wallfish and Anita Lasker-Wallfish.
08/15/2019
CD recording with Quartetto di Cremona
Eckart Runge will team up with one of the most distinguished Italian string quartets in September 2018 to record the famous String Quintet in C major D.956 by Franz Schubert. The album will be released in early 2019 under the label ‘Audite!’.