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Ulf Hoelscher (b Kitzingen, 1942 ) Biography
Ulf Hoelschers' first teacher at the age of seven was his father Ferdinand Hoelscher and by the age of ten Bruno Masurat. He later studied with Max Rostal in Cologne, and for three years in the United States with Josef Gingold at the Indiana University and with Paul Makanowitzky and Ivan Galamian at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. on his return to Europe, he quickly established a reputation as one of the leading violinists of his generation.
Ulf Hoelscher has given concerts in the world's most important music centres, including London, Munich, Hamburg, Paris and Berlin, and has undertaken extensive tours of Europe, Russia, the Far East, Germany (with the Dresden Staatskapelle, Wiener Sinfoniker, Münchner Philharmoniker, Hallé Orchestra etc.) Japan and Australia.
His exceptionally broad repertoire is reflected in his award winning recordings a.o. for EMI he recorded the complete works for violin and orchestra of Camille Saint-Saens with the New Philharmonia Orchestra London conduted by Pierre Derveaux, Beethoven Violinconcerto (Dresdner Staatskapelle), Tripelconcerto with Heinrich Schiff and Christian Zacharias (Masur conducting the Gewandthausorchester Leipzig), Brahms, Korngold, and Otmar Schoeck (English Chamber Orchestra, Howard Griffith). Strauss, Tschaikovsky, Berg, and Spohr whose whole work for Violin and Orchestra Ulf Hoelscher is recording with the Radio Symphony Orchestra Berlin. All the concerti have been issued so far and the Doubleconcerti and some smaller pieces for Violin and Orchestra will complete the huge project in 2001. His recent recordings also include cocertos by Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari, Siegfried Wagner and Benjamin Frankel.
Ulf Hoelscher has a Strong commitment to the virtuoso concerto repertoire and as a champion to contemporary music he premiered concertos written for him by Volker David Kirchner (1984, Berlin, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra), Franz Hummel (1987, Baden Baden (TV), 1988 1st live performance St. Petersburg) and Aribert Reimanns Doubleconcerto for Violin and Violoncello (with Wolfgang Boettcher violoncello) 1989 in Hannover with subsequent performances in Amsterdam, New York ,Toulouse, Zürich and with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in 1991. He recorded the violinconcerto of Alan Petterson with the Mandelring- Quartett for cpo in 1993.
Ulf Hoelscher is also dedicated to chamber music, he partnered Mstislav Rostropowitch and Galina Vishnewskaya in a record of Shostakovitch's chamber music, this was followed by the Schumann Sonatas with Michel Beroff as well as works by Bartok, César Franck, Szymanowsky, he played all Schubert Sonatas for Violin and Piano with Karl Engel as his partner at the piano. He has recorded the Brahms Trio b minor with Heinrich Schiff and Christian Zacharia.
As a Duo Partner of Wolfgang Boettcher for more than 20 years, with whom he also redorded the Brahms doubleconcerto under the direction of Sir Neville Marriner, Duos by Bloch, Ravel, Eissler and other composers. With his own ensemble, the Ulf Hoelscher Ensembles, he premiered the long lost Octet by Max Bruch which also has been released on CD recently.
Future plans include concerts and CD Productions with the excellent young English pianist Ian Fountain and Violinist Ulf Wallin as well as a series of concerts with Argentinian Pianist Carmen Piazzini. |
