Swiss musicians launch international career
Switzerland's Amar Quartet - one of only two groups worldwide to play Stradivarius instruments - has made its international debut in London.
The young string quartet from Zurich was granted the privilege of performing at the city’s Wigmore Hall after winning the Swiss Ambassador’s Award.
“It is an honour to play in one of the world’s best chamber music concert halls and to get all this attention,” Maja Weber, the quartet’s co-founder, told swissinfo.
Weber, a cellist, formed the Amar Quartet together with her sister, Anna Brunner, who plays the violin. The two other musicians are Daria Zappa from Locarno (violin) and Hannes Bärtschi (viola) from Männedorf.
“Winning this award is an excellent launch for our international career. Without this help we would not be able to perform abroad,” said Bärtschi, the quartet’s only male member.
Costly intruments
The musicians all play Stradivarius instruments – each of them worth at least SFr3 million ($2 million) and date from as far back as 1672. One of the violins is the famous “King George”, named after King George II of England.
“The sound from these instruments is so homogenous because they were all made by Stradivarius. Three of them stem from his golden period, and the viola I play is one of the first he ever made,” said Bärtschi.
The Habisreutinger Foundation in Switzerland offered the quartet these exclusive instruments in recognition of the achievements they have made in their short career.
All four members of the group started playing music very early on. Sisters Anna and Maja began violin and cello lessons at the tender ages of three and four.
Lifetime of practice
“We grew up in a family of musicians. There is nothing else I could ever imagine doing and I am so grateful that I can make my living this way,” said Maja Weber.
Discipline, dedication and a lifetime of practice have brought the quartet to where they are today. The oldest member is still only 30 and the average age of the musicians is 27.
The quartet’s programme in London included the UK premiere of the Macbeth-inspired Verdis Traum by up-and-coming Swiss composer Martin Wettstein.
They also played Mozart’s String Quartet in E flat (K428) and Claude Debussy’s First String Quartet in G Minor.
by Claudia Spahr
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.