Christoph Marks, Cello

German cellist Christoph Marks, who sadly passed away in January 2017, was the principal cello of the NDR Radiophilharmonie in Hannover, as well as the principal cello of the Gaudier Ensemble with whom he played for 28 years. He features on all the group’s recordings on the Hyperion label including the Schubert Octet, Strauss Dances, and Mozart piano concertos. For many years Christoph was also a faithful participant in the International Musicians’ Seminars in Prussia Cove, Cornwall.

In the words of Susan Tomes, one of his fellow musicians in the Gaudier Ensemble: “In any chamber group, the members find themselves playing particular ‘roles’. Christoph was our diplomat. He always spoke sincerely and considerately in rehearsal. Whenever there was anything tricky to be discussed, we used to push him forward as the spokesman because we knew he would stay calm and phrase things tactfully (indeed, beautifully: his command of English was as elegant as everything else about him). His long experience of orchestral life in the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and in the NDR Orchestra had trained him in the art of defusing tension with finesse.”