ensemble 4.1

 

ensemble 4.1 is probably the only permanent 'piano windtet' of its kind: FOUR wind soloists from German orchestras, all active in chamber music worldwide, and ONE distinctive Thomas Hoppe on the piano, are enthusiastically dedicated to this wonderfully classical, yet little-known musical genre.

 

Concerts at home and abroad, organised by the Goethe-Institut and German diplomatic missions, among others, paved the way. Meanwhile, ensemble 4.1 also regularly tours North America.

ensemble 4.1 – the "Easy Riders of Viennese Classical Music", as one critic nonchalantly yet aptly put it. Repeatedly highlighted in reviews, the ensemble's special communication and rousing atmosphere on stage have become its trademark.

 

In addition to the main works of this instrumentation - by Mozart and Beethoven - ensemble 4.1 is primarily dedicated to discovering rarely performed compositions from the turn of the 19th to the 20th century. Composers such as Walter Gieseking, Theodor Verhey, Heinrich von Herzogenberg and David Stephen are thus brought to the attention of an enthusiastic audience after a long time. And with its albums 'origin' and 'progress', ensemble 4.1 is also setting new standards on the CD market.

 

 

Alexander Glücksmann began playing the clarinet at the age of nine. While studying with Prof. Diethelm Kühn (HfM ‘Hanns Eisler’ Berlin), he participated in numerous master classes, e.g. with Eduard Brunner, Karl Leister and Karl-Heinz Steffens. He gained his first orchestral experience as principal clarinettist in several youth symphony orchestras in Berlin and Brandenburg, and in 1999 in the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra under the baton of Daniel Barenboim. After completing his studies, he was awarded a scholarship to the Herbert von Karajan Orchestra Academy of the Berlin Philharmonic. In 2003, he became principal clarinettist of the Berlin Symphony Orchestra. Since then, he has also worked regularly as a solo, E-flat and bass clarinettist in German orchestras (Komische Oper Berlin, Staatsoper unter den Linden, Konzerthaus Orchester Berlin, Kammerakademie Potsdam, Brandenburger Sinfoniker, Staatsorchester Frankfurt/Oder, Staatstheater Braunschweig, etc.). However, his great love is chamber music! He has played several times with members of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra at the ‘Opera Barga’ chamber music festival in Italy and has accepted invitations to the ‘Kremerata’ Lockenhaus, Davos, the Richard Strauss Festival Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the Chamber Music Days Barth, as well as international festivals in Israel, Spain and Kurdistan. Regular projects also bring him back to the Quillo chamber ensemble for contemporary music. As a member of ensemble 4.1, Alexander Glücksmann undertook concert tours to Pakistan, Bulgaria and Algeria at the invitation of the Goethe Institute.

 

Jörg Schneider grew up in Berlin and had his first oboe lessons with Karsten Schlottke and Christoph Hartmann. He studied in Berlin and Munich with Prof. Ricardo Rodrigues, Prof. Burkhard Glaetzner, Mario Kaminski and Francois Leleux. After being accepted into the Berlin State Youth Orchestra, he became principal oboist of the RIAS Youth Orchestra, a member of the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie and principal oboist of the Bayreuth Youth Festival Orchestra. He gained orchestral experience with the Frankfurt/Oder State Orchestra, the Coburg State Theatre, the Munich Philharmonic, the North German Philharmonic Rostock and the Berlin Symphony Orchestra. In 2000, he became a scholarship holder and member of the Orchestra Academy of the Essen Philharmonic Orchestra. Jörg Schneider currently plays as a substitute with the Ensemble Modern, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, the German Symphony Orchestra (DSO) Berlin and the Classical Philharmonic Orchestra Bonn. In 2006, he was appointed principal oboist of the Ensemble Nacional de Espana de Musica Contemporanea. Since 2007, Jörg Schneider has also been deputy principal oboist of the Jena Philharmonic Orchestra. He is a prize winner of the international chamber music competitions in Osaka, Marseille and Schwerin, as well as a scholarship holder of the German Music Competition.

 

Sebastian Posch was born in Berlin and began taking violin lessons at the age of five and horn lessons at the age of eleven. He studied with Sebastian Weigle in Berlin, Froydis Ree Wekre in Oslo and Christian-Friedrich Dallmann at the Berlin University of the Arts. This was followed by a scholarship at the Orchestra Academy and, in 2002, a permanent position as horn player with the Staatskapelle Berlin. He was a multiple first prize winner at the ‘Jugend musiziert’ competition and won third prize at the International Horn Competition in Stams (Austria) in 1999. As a soloist, he has performed concerts with the Frankfurt/Oder State Orchestra, the Junge Sinfonie Berlin, the Ensemble Preußens Hofmusik and, in 2018, with the Göttingen Symphony Orchestra. In 2014, together with Radovan Vlatkovich, he was accompanied by the Mahler Chamber Orchestra in Robert Schumann's Concert Piece for 4 Horns, of which he was also a member from 2008 to 2015. He has taught as a mentor at the Orchestra Academy of the Staatskapelle Berlin and the MCO Academy, and has been a lecturer at the Berlin University of the Arts since 2007. He is also extensively involved in chamber music and regularly participates in chamber music series at the Berlin State Opera and the Pierre Boulez Saal. He has been a permanent member of Ensemble 4.1 since 2021.

 

Christoph Knitt, born in Berlin, studied at the Hanns Eisler Academy of Music in Berlin under Prof. Klaus Thunemann. He began performing as a soloist and chamber musician at an early age as part of the Michaelstein Foundation's summer and winter courses for young instrumentalists. He gained orchestral experience as principal bassoonist in the Saxony-Anhalt State Youth Orchestra. He also made solo recordings with this orchestra in collaboration with MDR. This was followed by performances and recordings at the Schwetzingen Festival. He played as principal bas-soonist in the RIAS Youth Orchestra and the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie under conductors such as Kurt Masur, Gerd Albrecht and Michael Gielen. In 2001, he was offered a temporary contract as principal bassoonist with the Jena Philharmonic Orchestra and was also an intern with the RSO Berlin. In 2002, he performed with the Petersen Quartet at the Schubertiade Schwarzenberg. From 2002 to 2003, he played as principal bassoonist at the Finnish National Opera in Helsinki, followed by a contract with the RSO Berlin from 2003 to 2004. Since 2006, he has been principal bassoonist of the Kammerakademie Potsdam and a member of the Persius Ensemble. He also works as a substitute with orchestras such as the Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin, the Komische Oper Berlin and the Deutsche Oper Berlin. In 2010, he was invited by the Philharmonic Octet of the Berlin Philharmonic to Kufstein for the ORF Fortress Concerts. Since 2009, he has been working with the Goethe-Institut as part of the cultural reconstruction in Iraq.

 

Thomas Hoppe is considered one of the most outstanding piano accompanists of his generation. He has performed chamber music with artists such as Itzhak Perlman, Joshua Bell, Antje Weithaas, Tabea Zimmermann, Alban Gerhardt and Frans Helmerson, to name but a few. As pianist of the ATOS Trio, he has won numerous prizes and awards, including the German Music Competition in 2004, Melbourne in 2007, BBC New Generation Artists 2009 and the Borletto-Buitoni Ensemble Award 2012. Hoppe has taught masterclasses in piano accompaniment and chamber music in Europe, Australia, China, South America and the USA. Thomas Hoppe lives with his family in Berlin and is an artistic collaborator at the Hanns Eisler Academy of Music.

 
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