Matthias Lingenfelder, Leader
“My musical life began in youth orchestras like the European Youth Orchestra. It was a revelation to find out what music-making is about: it is not sitting in your room practicing scales and studies, but it is all about communication, friendship and creativity. But what a disappointment not to find any of this when I got my first job in a professional orchestra ! Many of my friends at the European Youth Orchestra made similar experiences, so this is how the COE started. And it worked ! The spirit of enthusiasm, friendship and commitment which we had shared, lived on, and at the same time the orchestra developed into a fully professional, top-class ensemble. I have wonderful memories of concerts and tours with fantastic soloists and inspiring conductors, especially Claudio Abbado who became a mentor to many of us and I made friends for life. I was very happy being part of the group until I found yet another, even more intense way of making music: playing in a string quartet. I wish the COE many more years to come with all the success they deserve.”
BIOGRAPHY
Matthias Lingenfelder, born 1959, started to play the violin at age 7. After studying with Klaus Eichholz, Max Rostal and Gérard Poulet he was co-founder of the Auryn Quartet in 1981 followed by further studies with the Amadeus and Guarneri Quartets.
1982 the quartet was prize winner of the international competitions in Portsmouth and Munich. From then on the Auryn Quartet was one of the leading string quartets with concerts all over the world, at all the important festivals and with many CD recordings that won numerous awards like the diapason d’or or the Echo Klassik. In 2022 after almost 41 years without change of personnel the Auryn Quartet ended its career.
Furthermore Matthias Lingenfelder also appeared as soloist with different orchestras, among them the Chamber Orchestra of Europe in which he also served as concert master for several years. Now, after having ended the quartet, he continues to play as soloist and in different chamber music formations, with among others, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Christian Poltéra, Esther Hoppe, Niklas Schmidt, Herbert Schuch, Quirine Viersen, and Benjamin Schmid. In the spring of 2023 he recorded the complete works for violin and piano by Gabriel Fauré with Peter Orth for the tacet label; with pianist Oliver Triendl he recorded the violin sonatas by Caspar Joseph Brambach for cpo.
Since 2003 Matthias Lingenfelder has held a professorship for chamber music at the Hochschule für Musik in Detmold.
Matthias Lingenfelder plays a Stradivari from 1722, formerly belonging to Joseph Joachim.