GIDON KREMER & KREMERATINI QUARTET
On April 26, 2007, at the First Church, 66 Marlborough Street in Boston, Commonwealth residents had a rare opportunity to attend a performance by internationally acclaimed violin virtuoso and recording artist Gidon Kremer. Mr. Kremer, on tour in US in April 2007, made an unscheduled stop in Boston to show his support for the Chamber Music Foundation of New England. Proceeds from the performance, reception, and dinner went to provide partial funding for the 2008 International Chamber Ensemble Competition (ICMEC™) for emerging young artists.
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Gidon Kremer, a true icon of classical music, has appeared on virtually every major concert stage and with the most celebrated orchestras of Europe and America. He has collaborated with foremost conductors, including James Levine, Leonard Bernstein, Herbert von Karajan, Christoph Eschenbach, Lorin Maazel, Riccardo Muti, Zubin Mehta, Claudio Abbado and Sir Neville Marriner, among others. Also known as an exceptionally prolific recording artist, Kremer has made more than 100 albums, many of which have brought him prestigious international awards and prizes in recognition of his exceptional interpretative powers. A master of standard classical and romantic repertoire, Kremer has lent incredible skill and sensitivity in introducing lesser-known works of 19th and 20th century composers. He has also performed new works; many dedicated to him, and formed artistic associations with such diverse greats as Alfred Schnittke and Astor Piazzolla. Kremer, born into a Latvian family of professional string players, came to world-wide attention by winning third place in the 1967 Queen Elizabeth Competition, and first place in both the 1969 Paganini and the 1970 Tchaikovsky International Competitions.
Mr. Kremer will perform chamber works by Sofia Gubaidulina, Alfred Schnittke and Ludwig van Beethoven with his Kremeratini Quartet of gifted emerging young instrumentalists. The idea of the “Kremeratini” string quartet belongs to the artistic leader of Kremerata Baltica, world-renowned violinist Gidon Kremer. The “Kremeratini” string quartet was founded when four long-standing Lithuanian members of Kremerata Baltica chamber orchestra, Dzeraldas Bidva (violin), Marija Nemanyte (violin), Ula Ulijona (viola), and Giedre Dirvanauskaite (violoncello) decided to expand their artistic field by playing more chamber music. In the last couple of years, the quartet has performed on many occasions in its homeland, Lithuania. The quartet and its members participate in many music festivals in Europe: the Lockenhaus, Kuhmo, Zagreb, Jerusalem, Sigulda, and Basel, as well as the Mostly Mozart festival in New York.