Hagen Quartett

Lukas Hagen, 1st violin • Rainer Schmidt, 2nd violin
Veronika Hagen, viola • Clemens Hagen, cello

The Hagen Quartet is made up of three members of one Salzburg family – Lukas, Veronika and Clemens Hagen – and the German violinist Rainer Schmidt, who joined the quartet in autumn 1987, replacing Annette Bik. The three Hagens studied at the Salzburg Mozarteum: Veronika and Lukas were students of Helmut Zehetmair; Clemens’s teacher was Wilfried Tachezi. Rainer Schmidt studied in Germany, Canada and the USA, where he attended the Cincinnati Conservatory under the tutelage of Walter Levin and Dorothy DeLay. Hatto Beyerle, Heinrich Schiff and Oleg Maisenberg also played important roles in the artistic development of the musicians. The meeting with Nikolaus Harnoncourt helped to expand their field of musical vision, as did the friendship and artistic relationship with Gidon Kremer, who has regularly involved the ensemble in his chamber-music projects at the Lockenhaus Chamber Music Festival.

1981
The Hagen Quartet’s international fame begins when they take part in the Locken­haus Chamber Music Festival and win the “Prize of the Jury” and the “Audience Prize”

1982
A first prize at the Portsmouth (England) International String Quartet Competition, under the chairmanship of Yehudi Menuhin, followed by a concert in London’s Wigmore Hall, launches their meteoric career as one of the world’s finest and most respected chamber-music formations. Over the next years the ensemble undertakes extensive tours throughout Europe, the USA, Asia (especially Japan), Australia and South America. They participate regularly in important music festivals and have won numerous awards at international competitions, including the Henryk Szeryng Prize and the Christa Richter-Steiner Prize.

1983
Further competition victories at Evian, Bordeaux and Banff (Alberta); debut at Munich’s Herkulessaal

1984
Salzburg Festival debut. In the coming years, they regularly appear in their native city, at the Salzburg Festival, the Mozart Week, and in the regular Salzburg concert series

1985
Beginning of their exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon – first recording made in Salzburg this year and released in 1986: Schubert String Quartets; Mozart Interpretation Prize from the Austrian Ministry of Culture

1987
Releases include a disc with Dvoøák’s “American” and “Cypresses” Quartets and Kodály’s Quartet no. 2 (Grand Prix International du Disque) and one of Mozart quartets

1988
First world tour

1989
14-concert tour of Japan, where they return twice in 1991; CD releases include Haydn’s op. 1 no. 1, “Lark” and “Rider” Quartets (Grand Prix International du Disque, 2000) and the two quartets by Janáèek with Hugo Wolf’s “Italian” Serenade (Prix Caecilia, 1989)

1991
The Hagen Quartet is committed to interpreting works by contemporary composers alongside their explorations of the rich heritage of the quartet repertoire stretching back to Bach. This is reflected in their latest CD release: quartets by Ligeti, Lutos³awski and Schnittke (Prix Caecilia, CD Compact Award, 1992)

1994
CD releases: Quartets by Debussy, Ravel and Webern, the Schubert Quintet (with cellist Heinrich Schiff), Haydn’s set of Quartets op. 20, and serenades and divertimenti by Mozart (including “Eine kleine Nachtmusik”, with Alois Posch, double bass)

1995
Releases this year include quartets by Shostakovich, Schumann (including the Piano Quintet, with Paul Gulda), Verdi and Puccini

1996
Beginning of regular master classes in viola and chamber music given by Veronika Hagen at the Paris Conservatoire; Rainer Schmidt also teaches a chamber-music class in Madrid at the Escuela Superior “Reina Sofia”; CD releases include quartets by Mozart and Schumann

1997
String quintets by Brahms (with violist Gérard Caussé) released

1999
This year’s releases include quartets by Beethoven (Prix Caecilia, 2000)

2000
CD release of the complete Bartók cycle (Prix Caecilia, 2000)

2001
Set of Mozart’s complete “Haydn” Quartets and works by Dvoøák, Schulhoff and Kurtág released this year

2002
Invited as special guests to the famous New Year’s Day Concert of the Wiener Philharmoniker, which is broadcast to 800 million people around the world. CD release with quartets by Beethoven (“Great Fugue”), Mozart’s Four-part Fugues (with Roberto Di Ronza, cello) and a selection of Bach/Mozart’s “Das Wohltemperierte Klavier”

2003
CD releases include string quartets by Ligeti and Beethoven (including the “Razumovsky”)

2004
Conclusion of the ensemble’s survey of Mozart’s string quartets is released on CD

2005
Their busy concert schedule includes an extensive tour of Japan followed by appearances in Germany, Spain, at London’s Wigmore Hall and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw. Release of late quartets by Beethoven

2006
To coincide with Mozart’s 250th birthday celebrations, the Hagens play an all-Mozart programme on tour in Japan and China as well as in Italy, the Netherlands, Hungary, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Concerts with Maurizio Pollini at the Vienna Konzerthaus at the end of the year. CD release of Shostakovich String Quartets nos. 3, 7 and 8 to mark the Shostakovich 100th Birthday Year