Audiomax label

Doris Hochscheid was awarded the Prize for the Outstanding Cellist on two occasions during the Tanglewood Festival in the United States. She is a member of the Asko Ensemble and premiered Dimitris Andrikopoulos’ Cello Concerto with this ensemble. She was also a member of the Leo Smit Ensemble for many years and has appeared with them in Amsterdam, Paris and London.

Schumann’s treatment of the cello opens up a special dimension. Because Schumann was originally a pianist and composed for the instrument he is usually seen in the light of that instrument. In fact, he also played the cello and so was familiar with the instrument’s technique and character. He even fell back on the cello when his hopes of becoming the Paganini of the piano were dashed as a young man.

This trio was formed in 2005 and performed international concerts sponsored by the European Union. The trio was named after Max Brod, who was a mediator between the German, Czech and Jewish cultures. The ensemble has a great many friends and supporters and aims to continue Max Brod’s work. It is very open to new ideas, initiatives and cultural projects.

Over the years these two artists have mastered a common repertoire of almost 100 compositions ranging form the gamba sonatas of J S Bach to a steadily increasing number of works composed especially for them.

As the name of this label would suggest, this CD presents the Beethoven and Mendelssohn A minor String Quartets in 2+2+2 surround sound on SACD with a DVD Video.