The Boulanger Trio holds all the trump cards to take on the legacy of the legendary Beaux Arts Trio.
Luxemburger Tageblatt
With the founding of the Boulanger Trio in 2006, pianist Karla Haltenwanger, violinist Birgit Erz and cellist Ilona Kindt fulfilled their dream of dedicating their lives to chamber music. Even 14 years later, the three musicians still consider it a privilege to be able to devote themselves to the rich, varied repertoire of their genre daily. The trio, which is based in Hamburg and Berlin and still plays in its original formation, has gained an excellent reputation in the chamber music scene in a very short time. Die Welt described the ensemble as "irresistible", and the composer Wolfgang Rihm wrote in a letter: "To be interpreted like this is probably a dream come true for every composer."
The trio delights audiences and the press alike with its passionate playing and intelligent interpretations. Through its unbiased view of the works, it always finds its very own tonal language for each composer it deals with. Here, the three artists' will to express themselves, is palpable at every moment, and the intensity with which they trace every musical detail is captivating. The distinct sense of sound and the blind understanding of the three musicians, who also enjoy spending time together in private, make the trio's concerts unforgettable moments.
Previous seasons have taken the trio to the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, the Berlin Philharmonie, the Palais des Beaux-Arts Brussels, Wigmore Hall London, the Elbphilharmonie, the Konzerthaus Wien and the Musikverein Wien. The ensemble is a regular guest at festivals such as the Heidelberger Frühling, the Kissinger Sommer, the Sommerliche Musiktage Hitzacker and the Enescu Festival Bucharest. As a soloist trio, the musicians have performed with the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, the Brandenburg Symphony Orchestra, the Lower Rhine Symphony Orchestra, the Cluj Symphony Orchestra and the Bern Symphony Orchestra under the direction of conductors such as Antoni Wit and Lera Auerbach. Her chamber music partners include Sebastian Manz, Shirley Brill, Andrè Schuen and Nils Mönkemeyer. In collaboration with actors Johann von Bülow and Ulrich Noethen, the ensemble has performed various enthusiastically received programmes of literature and music in recent years.
In addition to their involvement with the classical and romantic repertoire, the musicians are sought-after interpreters of new music. Among others, they work with composers such as Beat Furrer, Wolfgang Rihm, Johannes Maria Staud, Friedrich Cerha, Toshio Hosokawa and Matthias Pintscher. In 2012, the ensemble launched its concert series, Boulangerie, which takes place regularly in Hamburg and Berlin. At each concert in this series, the musicians combine classical repertoire with a contemporary piece whose composer is present during the concert and talks to the three musicians about his or her work.
The Boulanger Trio can point to an impressive discography: on nine CDs to date, the Boulanger Trio has documented its extensive oeuvre. Here it remains true to its credo of always presenting a concept. The CD "Solitaires" with gems of the trio literature was the CD of the month at the Bavarian, Hessian and North German Radio. The recording of Beethoven's Scottish and Irish Songs together with the up-and-coming baritone Andrè Schuen was also CD of the Month at BR-Klassik. The Beethoven CD and the Shostakovich-Vasks CD were honoured with the Supersonic Award, and in 2010 the trio received the coveted Excellentia Award in Luxembourg for its Brahms-Schönberg-Liszt CD. The most recently released CD with works by Juon and Tchaikovsky was chosen as the best chamber music recording of the fourth quarter of 2018 by the German Record Critics' Prize. In early 2021, the most recently recorded CD will be released by Berlin Classics: it is dedicated to Nadia Boulanger as a pedagogue and unites her students Quincy Jones, Jean Françaix, Aaron Copland, Philip Glass, Leonard Bernstein and Astor Piazzolla in one recording.
In its founding year, the ensemble, whose mentors include Hatto Beyerle, Menahem Pressler, Niklas Schmidt and Alfred Brendel, was invited to the 5th Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition as one of eight piano trios worldwide. The following year, the three musicians won the 4th Trondheim International Chamber Music Competition in Norway, and in 2008 they were awarded the Rauhe Prize for New Chamber Music.
The trio takes its name from the sisters Nadia and Lili Boulanger, whose extraordinary personalities and uncompromising commitment to music have been a great source of inspiration for musicians to this day.
Changes and alterations require prior consultation with Grunau & Paulus Music Management.Boulanger Trio | Robert Schumann | Trio in d minor op. 63 | I. Mit Energie und Leidenschaft
Boulanger Trio | Lili Boulanger | D'un soir triste
Boulanger Trio | Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy | Trio in d minor op. 49 | I. Molto allegro ed agitato
Boulanger Trio | Astor Piazzolla | Las Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas | Invierno Porteño
Boulanger Trio | Friedrich Cerha | Nachtstück
Quincy Jones - Main Title from "The Color Purple" - Boulanger Trio (Official Music Video)
Boulanger Trio | Leonard Bernstein | West Side Story | Mambo
Boulanger Trio | Wolfgang Rihm | Fremde Szene III
Wanderlust
Mit Werken von: Edvard Grieg (1843-1907), Manuel de Falla (1876-1946), Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904), Johannes Brahms (1833-1897), Frank Martin (1890-1974)
Label: Berlin Classics
LC: 06203
Distribution: Edel
Release: 04.03.2022
Teach Me! The Students of Nadia Boulanger
With works by: Jean Francaix (1912-1997), Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990), Aaron Copland (1900-1990), Philip Glass (born 1937), Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992), Quincy Jones (born 1933 )
Label: Berlin Classics
LC: 06203
Distribution: Edel
Release: 12.03.2021
Tchaikovsky - Juon
Paul Juon: Litaniae, Tondichtung for piano, Violin and Cello, Op. 70
Pjotr Ilych Tschaikowsky: Trio for piano , Violin and Cello a-Moll, Op. 50
Label: CAvi-Music
LC: LC15080
Distribution: HELIKON HARMONIA MUNDI GmbH
EAN: 4260085534012
Release: 31.08.2018
Beethoven Lieder
together with Andrè Schuen
Label: CAvi-Music
LC: LC15080
Distribution: HELIKON HARMONIA MUNDI GmbH
EAN: 4260085533770
Release: 14.07.2017
Kammermusik von Friedrich Cerha
Works by Friedrich Cerha
Label: CAvi-Music
LC: LC15080
Distribution: HELIKON HARMONIA MUNDI GmbH
EAN: HELIKON HARMONIA MUNDI GmbH
Release: 12.02.2016
Solitaries
Pianotrios by Bonis, Grieg, Bloch, Enescu, Pärt, Suk, Schubert, Henze & Boulanger.
Label: CAvi-Music
LC: LC15080
Distribution: HELIKON HARMONIA MUNDI GmbH
EAN: 4260085533459
Release: 15.01.2016
Beethoven Klaviertrios
Ludwig van Beethoven:
10 Variations on Wenzel Müllers Song "Ich bin der Schneider Kakadu", Op. 121A
Pianotrio in B-Dur WoO39
Pianotrio Nr.7 in B-Dur, Op. 97 "Erzherzog"
Label: Profil
LC: LC13287
Distribution: Naxos
EAN: 0881488140156
Release: 14.07.2014
Canto Perpetuo
Dmitri Schostakowitsch: Klaviertrios Nr. 1 & 2
Pēteris Vasks: Episodi e Canto Perpetuo
Label: Profil
LC: LC13287
Distribution: Naxos
EAN: 0881488120455
Release: 03.09.2012
Brahms, Liszt, Schönberg
Johannes Brahms: Trio in c-Moll op.101
Franz Liszt: Tristia
Arnold Schönberg: Verklärte Nacht (bearb.Eduard Steuermann)
Label: Profil
LC: LC13287
Distribution: Naxos
EAN: 0881488110425
Release: 24.10.2011
French Piano Trios
Pianotrios by Saint-Saëns, Fauré and Boulanger
Label: Ars Produktion
LC: Ars Produktion
Distribution: Ars Produktion
EAN: 4260052380451
Release: 04.06.2010
Schumann, Schumann, Rihm
Pianotrios by Clara Schumann, Robert Schumann und Wolfgang Rihm
Label: Ars Produktion
LC: LC06900
Distribution: Note1
EAN: 4260052380482
Release: 01.06.2009