Henschel Quartet celebrates 30th anniversary with birthday tour
Florence Lockheart
Friday, January 12, 2024
The quartet will present concerts in Germany, Denmark, Latvia, Japan and at Aldeburgh Festival to celebrate three decades of making music together
German string ensemble the Henschel Quartet is set to celebrate its 30th anniversary this year with concerts in its Germany, Denmark, Latvia and Japan. The group will also perform at Aldeburgh Festival in June, giving the public debut of String Quartet No.1 ‘Norfolk’ by Freda Swain, marking the latest stage in the quartet’s rediscovery of the overlooked British composer.
The group’s return to Aldeburgh is particularly meaningful, as it made its stage debut as quartet-in-residence at the Festival in June 1994 with a concert including Beethoven’s Op. 59 No.3. Now, three decades on, the Henschel Quartet will revisit this piece at their concert this summer.
Monika Henschel, the group’s founding violist, said: ‘Aldeburgh holds a special place in the Henschel Quartet’s story. It gave us a wonderful start and opened so many doors. We came to Aldeburgh because of our studies with the Amadeus Quartet… We also received coaching at Aldeburgh from the violinist Hugh Maquire, who was a truly special gentleman. So it was already like a dream for us when the BBC producer Edward Blakeman showed up on his motorbike, came to our concert of late Beethoven at the Aldeburgh Cinema and asked us if we’d like to play at the Proms! We’re so pleased to be going back to where it all began for the Henschel Quartet’.
The quartet came together in May 1994 when cellist Mathias Beyer-Karlshøj joined Monika Henschel and her siblings Christoph and Markus Henschel (both violinists). Christoph, Monika and Mathias have been members of the quartet since its founding, and Daniel Bell now occupies its second violin chair. The group’s Aldeburgh debut led to a residency at the Tanglewood Festival in 1995 and prize-winning performances at the Evian, Banff and Salzburg string quartet competitions.
Championing the legacy of Freda Swain, whose work will feature in the Henschel Quartet’s upcoming Aldeburgh Festival concert, is part of an ongoing project for the group which will see them make the world premiere recording of her ‘Norfolk’ String Quartet next year.
Monika commented: ‘Freda’s wonderful music took us completely by surprise. She’s a major composer, just waiting to be rediscovered… It’s nice to look back on thirty years of the Henschel Quartet but so much more important that we can serve Freda’s cause in future. She deserves to be visible to the widest possible audience.’
