THE CLARINET TRIO ANTHOLOGY
Daniel Ottensamer (principal clarinet of the Vienna Philharmonic), Stephan Koncz (cellist of the Berlin Philharmonic) and pianist Christoph Traxler, three Austrian artists who have known each other since childhood, dedicated themselves to a vast and worldwide unique project: A comprehensive recording of the repertoire for clarinet, cello & piano called „The Clarinet Trio Anthology“.
The history of this instrumental formation is quite remarkable as a great number of famous composers - starting with Ludwig van Beethoven and Johannes Brahms - as well as many of their peers, including Max Bruch, Gabriel Fauré, Mikhail Glinka, Alexander Zemlinsky, Nino Rota, decided to write pieces for clarinet trio - some of them well-known, others still hidden treasures. Exciting part of this new major collection is the world-premiere recording of a recently discovered clarinet trio fragment written by Arnold Schoenberg, who was directly inspired by the composition of his teacher and brother-in-law Alexander Zemlinsky.
The result of this musical tour-de-force is a comprehensive 7-CD collection to be released in June 2022 with the major label „Decca”.
DANIEL OTTENSAMER
Daniel Ottensamer has been hailed as one of the leading clarinetists of our times and is enjoying a multi-faceted career as soloist, chamber musician and principal clarinetist of the Vienna Philharmonic.
As a soloist he is regularly invited to perform with renowned orchestras, among them the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, the NHK Symphony Orchestra, the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg with conductors such as Lorin Maazel, Gustavo Dudamel, Andris Nelsons, Adam Fischer, and Manfred Honeck.
An avid chamber musician, Daniel Ottensamer has performed and collaborated with Daniel Barenboim, Sir András Schiff, Barbara Bonney, Thomas Hampson, Bobby McFerrin, Heinrich Schiff, Isabelle Faust, Mischa Maisky, and the Hagen Quartett.
His recordings of the clarinet concerto repertoire are available on various albums with Sony Classical. Furthermore, 2022 has seen the release of a unique 7-CD collection called „The Clarinet Trio Anthology“, a comprehensive recording of the repertoire for clarinet, cello & piano with his close chamber music partners Stephan Koncz and Christoph Traxler.
Daniel Ottensamer is a member of "Philharmonix", a unique ensemble founded by members of the Vienna and Berlin Philharmonics that transcends stylistic boundaries and has been awarded the Opus Klassik prize in 2018.
STEPHAN KONCZ
Cellist Stephan Koncz is recognized as one of the most versatile musicians of his generation and enjoys a multi-faceted career as soloist, chamber musician, composer/arranger, conductor and member of the Berlin Philharmonic.
Recent highlights include conducting and solo performances with the Philharmonia Orchestra (London), the Münchner Rundfunkorchester, the Münchner Symphoniker, as well as recordings with Reinhard Goebel & Deutsche Radiophilharmonie performing virtuosic cello repertoire by Beethoven contemporaries Romberg/Reicha/Vorisek.
He has performed and collaborated with Leonidas Kavakos, Lisa Batiashvili, Janine Jansen, Antoine Tamestit, Gautier Capuçon, Gerald Finley, Thomas Hampson, Rudolf Buchbinder, Avi Avital, Emmanuel Pahud and can be heard on many albums with Deutsche Grammophon and Sony Classical, most recently with „The Clarinet Trio Anthology“, a comprehensive 7-CD collection covering the repertoire for clarinet, cello & piano with his close chamber music partners Daniel Ottensamer and Christoph Traxler.
Stephan Koncz is a member of the “12 Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic”, cellist & arranger of “Philharmonix” (a unique ensemble founded by members of the Vienna and Berlin Philharmonics that transcends stylistic boundaries and has been awarded the Opus Klassik prize in 2018) and also part of an exciting string quartet project with Ray Chen, Noah Bendix-Balgley and Amihai Grosz: "Made In Berlin".
Following his enthusiasm for arranging and composing, numerous of his works have been performed and recorded by the Berlin Philharmonic, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Mariss Jansons, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Leonidas Kavakos, Lisa Batiashvili, Janine Jansen, Renaud Capuçon, Ray Chen, Antoine Tamestit, Thomas Hampson, Andreas Ottensamer, and Emmanuel Pahud.
CHRISTOPH TRAXLER
Austrian pianist Christoph Traxler enjoys a multi-faceted career as soloist, chamber musician and educator and has toured and performed in the most prestigious concert halls worldwide. He has been hailed for his stylistic versatility and passionate performances.
Recent solo appearances include Beethoven piano concertos in the Toyota City Hall (Japan), collaborations with Manfred Honeck, Stefan Vladar, Michael Barenboim, Thomas Hampson and performances at the Verbier Festival, Gstaad Menuhin Festival, and the Rheingau Festival.
He is a member of "Philharmonix", a unique ensemble founded by members of the Vienna and Berlin Philharmonics that transcends stylistic boundaries and has been awarded the Opus Klassik prize in 2018.
An avid recording artist, Christoph Traxler can be heard on numerous albums with Deutsche Grammophon and Sony Classical, most recently on „The Clarinet Trio Anthology“, a comprehensive 7-CD collection covering the repertoire for clarinet, cello & piano with his close chamber music partners Daniel Ottensamer and Stephan Koncz.He has been regularly invited to perform with the Vienna Philharmonic as orchestral pianist.In 2022 Christoph Traxler was appointed Professor for Piano at the prestigious University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna.