Friedemann Kupsa
Encyclopedia
Friedemann Kupsa is an Austrian Cellist.
Friedemann Kupsa studied at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater, Vienna
, and attended masterclasses with Daniil Shafran (cello
) and the La Salle Quartet (chamber music
). He is a member of the Munich Radio Orchestra
.
He has been a member of the Fanny Mendelssohn Quartet since 1986, receiving international acclaim for numerous first recordings on CD of music by Fanny Mendelssohn
-Hensel, Ethel Smyth
, Germaine Tailleferre
and Grażyna Bacewicz
. With the pianist
Wolfram Lorenzen
he recorded the great chamber works of Max Reger
, and his commitment to 20th-century chamber music is further shown by his recording of the first eight string quartets by Darius Milhaud
and the two great quartets by Arthur Bliss
.
He made the first-ever recording of Ethel Smyth’s two cello sonatas and has also attracted attention by recording cello works by Nadia Boulanger.
In addition, together with the pianist Céline Dutilly, he issued a recording of the two works for cello and piano by Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel: the Sonata o Fantasia, as a world premiere, and the Capriccio.
Friedemann Kupsa has displayed his commitment to the music of the twentieth century with the world premiere recording of the Duo Sonatas by the Greek composer Nikos Skalkottas and the Romanian composer Anatol Vieru
. Along with the Duo Sonatas by Maurice Ravel
, Zoltán Kodály
and the Variations by Elizabeth Maconchy
, Kupsa played the world premiere of the duo composition Strassenmusik No 16 by Dimitri Nicolau
, which is dedicated to the two soloists Renate Eggebrecht
, violin, and Friedemann Kupsa, violoncello.
With his ensemble, Kupsa has played numerous concerts, including at the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, Toblach Gustav Mahler Festival, the Chard Music Festival of Women, the Lucca Music Festival, the Munich Music Festival of Women, and the Moravia Festival, accompanied by radio productions and live television recordings.
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, and attended masterclasses with Daniil Shafran (cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
) and the La Salle Quartet (chamber music
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
). He is a member of the Munich Radio Orchestra
Munich Radio Orchestra
The Munich Radio Orchestra is a German symphony orchestra based in Munich. It is one of the two orchestras affiliated with the Bavarian Radio , the other being the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra....
.
He has been a member of the Fanny Mendelssohn Quartet since 1986, receiving international acclaim for numerous first recordings on CD of music by Fanny Mendelssohn
Fanny Mendelssohn
Fanny Cäcilie Mendelssohn , later Fanny Hensel, was a German pianist and composer, the sister of the composer Felix Mendelssohn and granddaughter of the philosopher Moses Mendelssohn...
-Hensel, Ethel Smyth
Ethel Smyth
Dame Ethel Mary Smyth, DBE was an English composer and a leader of the women's suffrage movement.- Early career :...
, Germaine Tailleferre
Germaine Tailleferre
Germaine Tailleferre was a French composer and the only female member of the famous composers' group Les Six.-Biography:...
and Grażyna Bacewicz
Grazyna Bacewicz
Grażyna Bacewicz was a Polish composer and violinist. She is only the second Polish female composer to have achieved national and international recognition, the first being Maria Szymanowska in the early 19th century.- Life :Bacewicz was born in Łódź...
. With the pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
Wolfram Lorenzen
Wolfram Lorenzen
Wolfram Lorenzen is a German pianist.Wolfram Lorenzen studied with Klaus Linder, Ludwig Hoffmann, Paul Badura-Skoda and participated in masterclasses held by Wilhelm Kempff, amon others...
he recorded the great chamber works of Max Reger
Max Reger
Johann Baptist Joseph Maximilian Reger was a German composer, conductor, pianist, organist, and academic teacher.-Life:...
, and his commitment to 20th-century chamber music is further shown by his recording of the first eight string quartets by Darius Milhaud
Darius Milhaud
Darius Milhaud was a French composer and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as The Group of Six—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His compositions are influenced by jazz and make use of polytonality...
and the two great quartets by Arthur Bliss
Arthur Bliss
Sir Arthur Edward Drummond Bliss, CH, KCVO was an English composer and conductor.Bliss's musical training was cut short by the First World War, in which he served with distinction in the army...
.
He made the first-ever recording of Ethel Smyth’s two cello sonatas and has also attracted attention by recording cello works by Nadia Boulanger.
In addition, together with the pianist Céline Dutilly, he issued a recording of the two works for cello and piano by Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel: the Sonata o Fantasia, as a world premiere, and the Capriccio.
Friedemann Kupsa has displayed his commitment to the music of the twentieth century with the world premiere recording of the Duo Sonatas by the Greek composer Nikos Skalkottas and the Romanian composer Anatol Vieru
Anatol Vieru
Anatol Vieru was a music theoretician, influential pedagogue, and a leading Romanian-Jewish composer of the 20th century. A pupil of Aram Khachaturian, he composed seven symphonies, eight string quartets, numerous concertos, and much chamber music. He also wrote three operas: Iona , Praznicul...
. Along with the Duo Sonatas by Maurice Ravel
Maurice Ravel
Joseph-Maurice Ravel was a French composer known especially for his melodies, orchestral and instrumental textures and effects...
, Zoltán Kodály
Zoltán Kodály
Zoltán Kodály was a Hungarian composer, ethnomusicologist, pedagogue, linguist, and philosopher. He is best known internationally as the creator of the Kodály Method.-Life:Born in Kecskemét, Kodály learned to play the violin as a child....
and the Variations by Elizabeth Maconchy
Elizabeth Maconchy
Dame Elizabeth Violet Maconchy Le Fanu DBE was an English composer, most noted for her cycle of thirteen string quartets.-Biography:...
, Kupsa played the world premiere of the duo composition Strassenmusik No 16 by Dimitri Nicolau
Dimitri Nicolau
Dimitri Nicolau was a composer, stage director, conductor, musicologist, writer and professor. He was born in Keratea, Greece and became a naturalized citizen of Italy...
, which is dedicated to the two soloists Renate Eggebrecht
Renate Eggebrecht
Renate Eggebrecht is a German violinist and record producer.Born in Selent, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, Eggebrecht received her initial musical training from her mother, starting at the age of four. At the age of seven she became a pupil of Hans Hilf, who had studied in the master class of...
, violin, and Friedemann Kupsa, violoncello.
With his ensemble, Kupsa has played numerous concerts, including at the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, Toblach Gustav Mahler Festival, the Chard Music Festival of Women, the Lucca Music Festival, the Munich Music Festival of Women, and the Moravia Festival, accompanied by radio productions and live television recordings.
Recordings
- Kodály, Maconchy, Vieru, Nicolau; Sonatas for Violin & Violoncello (Renate Eggebrecht, violin), 2002
- Ravel, Milhaud, Honegger, Skalkottas; Sonatas for Violin & Violoncello (Renate Eggebrecht, violin), 2000
- Reger; Piano Trio op. 102, Piano Quartets opp. 113 and 133, Piano Quintet op. 64 (Wolfram Lorenzen, piano), 1996-98
- Lutyens, Dinescu, Coates; String Quartets, 1997
- Bliss; String Quartets, 1995
- Milhaud; String Quartets Nr. 1-8, 1994-95
- Fanny Mendelssohn; Piano Quartet, String Quartet, Piano Trio, 1994, "Sonata o Fantasia", "Capriccio" for violoncello & piano, 2003
- Tailleferre; Piano Trio, String Quartet, 1992
- Bacewicz; String Quartets Nr. 4, 6, 7, 1991
- Smyth; Violoncello Sonata A-minor op. 5, String Quartet, String Quintet, 1990, Violoncello Sonata C-minor (1880), 1997
- Nadia Boulanger; Three Pieces for Violoncello & Piano (1913), 1993