String Quintet
of the
WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne
The Ensemble
- Ye Wu | violin
- Cristian Suvaiala | violin
- Andreea Florescu | violin
- Mischa Pfeiffer | viola
- Tomasz Neugebauer | viola
- Susanne Eychmüller | cello
A string Quintet with two violas was once standard in the 17th century. Many great composers have written masterpieces for this formation. These five musicians from WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, one of the leading European Orchestras, decided to draw their inspiration from years of devoted chamber music experience and their culturally diverse backgrounds.
Since their debut performance in 2016, WDR Chamber Players came to prominence in a 2017 tour across China which proved hugely successful. Their debut CD of Johannes Brahms String Quintets was released in April 2017 by Pentatone and was awarded the International magazine Diapason’s “Diapason D’or” prize.
Enthusiastic responses from audiences and critics have encouraged the ensemble to continue their path. Through live concerts and radio broadcast, the Chamber Players continues to realise their goal of sharing their passion for music with the listeners.
"Distinguished for their unified sound, colorful tone of expression and energetic intensity, the WDR Chamber Players manage to seamlessly combine symphonic scale with the intimacy of chamber music."
"They give an infinite sensuality to the abundant lyricism, finding everywhere refined colours and a dynamic without gravity."
2020 and 2021 were challenging years for everyone. Since our live concerts were cancelled due to pandemic restrictions, we focused on CD productions. Our CD of the Bruch String Quintets and Octet was released in June 2021 by Alpha Classics and we hope that our CD version of Beethoven’s String Trio and Septet will be released soon.
Our immediate plans for the future include attempts to uncover the chamber music of lesser-known composers, such as Louis Spohr and Alexander von Zemlinsky.
We were delighted to have been invited to perform at the George Enescu International Festival in Bucharest in September, 2021. Continued liberation from pandemic enabled us to successfully perform concerts at a number of venues within Germany during late Spring and early Summer of 2022. We were overjoyed that we were, at last, able to perform before audiences again!
Special thanks to Mr. Jianquan Ge and Mr. Peng Bai for sponsoring the Violin Rocca 1851, played by Ye Wu.
Upcoming concerts
Bucharest
26 Sep | 11:00
National Museum of Arts - International Enescu Festival more
Program: A.Zemlinsky - String Quintet in d minor, G.Enescu - String Quartet in G Major op.22 no.2, J.Brahms - String Quintet in G Major op.111
Essen
09 Apr | 19:00
Alfred Krupp Saal, Philharmonie Essen more
Program: Exclusive Veranstaltung für Abonnent*innen: M. Bruch - String Quintet A minor, M. Glinka - Grand Sextet E flat Major
Guests: Haiou Zhang - Piano, Michael Geismann - Double Bass
Location: Huyssenallee 53, 45128 Essen
Donaueschingen
27 May | 17:00
Öschberghof Klassik Festival more
Program: A. Zemlinsky - String Quintet in D minor, M.Bruch - String Quintet in A minor, M. Glinka - Grand Sextet
Guests: Haiou Zhang - piano, Michael Geismann - Double Bass
Location: Golfplatz 1, 78166 Donaueschingen
Oberhausen
29 May | 11:00
Ebertbad more
Program: A. Zemlinsky - String Quintet in D minor, M.Bruch - String Quintet in A minor, M. Glinka - Grand Sextet
Guests: Haiou Zhang - Piano, Michael Geismann - Double Bass
Location: Ebertplatz 4, 46045 Oberhausen
Schortens
19 Jun | 19:00
Sillenstede | Kirche more
Program: M. Bruch - String Quintet in A minor, A. Zemlinsky - String Quintet in D minor, M. Glinka - Grand Sextet in E flat Major
Guests: Haiou Zhang - Piano, Michael Geismann - Double Bass
Location: Mühlenstr. 2, 26419 Schortens
Get tickets!Our Recordings
We are very excited to announce that our next CD with Alpha-Classics is devoted to Cologne born composer Max Bruch and was released in June 2021. It features both Bruch's string quintets as well as his string octet. Our colleagues Sarah Etelävuori, Georgeta Iordache and Michael Geismann join us for this marvelous work.
Here are some early reviews:
The performances are transparent and intense, despite slender expression, so that the secondary voices can always be heard alongside the melody instruments. Nevertheless, the result is a coherent ensemble sound that breathes and feels with the music. Thus, their interpretations result in technically sophisticated and also expressively sensitive listening experiences.
We were thrilled by the release of our first CD with Alpha-Classics in January 2020. It features the rare and precious string quintets op.29 and op.104 as well as the short fuge op.137 by Ludwig van Beethoven. It is our own contribution to Beethovens' 250th birthday. We hope you enjoy it!
Here are some reviews:
The WDR Chamber Players make use of this strong music and offer gripping interpretations. With virtuoso freshness and powerful gestures, they fascinate the listener in both quintets as well as in the only two-minute long Fugue op. 137.
Our first CD was released in April 2017 for the Pentatone label. It features both string quintets of Johannes Brahms and was awarded with the prestigious Diapason d'Or Award by the french music mag Diapason.
Here some reviews:
Those musicians from the WDR Symphony of Cologne find the charm, the abandonment and the poetry (...).They give an infinite sensuality to the abundant lyricism, finding everywhere refined colours and a dynamic without gravity.
There is something slightly mystical about the string quintet, with its extra layer of harmony added to the more familiar two violins, viola and cello quartet line up. This recording is an eloquent statement of the finest Romantic chamber music.
Videos
Max Bruch - String Quintet in E flat Major
Live! from WDR Funkhaus:
Ludwig van Beethoven - String Quintet op. 104 in c Minor
Live! from Cologne Philharmonic Hall:
Johannes Brahms - String Quintet op. 111 in G Major
Live! from Cologne Philharmonic Hall: