Christian Tetzlaff
Known for his musical integrity, technical assurance, and intelligent interpretations, Christian Tetzlaff is internationally recognized as one of the most important violinists of his generation.
From the outset of his career, Mr. Tetzlaff has performed and recorded a broad spectrum of repertoire. In high demand as a soloist around the world, he has performed with the orchestras of Chicago, Cleveland, Boston, Philadelphia, New York, and Los Angeles, as well as the Berliner Philharmoniker, Vienna and Rotterdam philharmonic orchestras, Orchestre de Paris, and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, among many others. A dedicated chamber musician, he collaborates with distinguished artists, including Leif Ove Andsnes and Lars Vogt, and is the founder of the Tetzlaff Quartet, which he formed in 1994 with violinist Elisabeth Kufferath, violist Hanna Weinmeister, and his sister, cellist Tanja Tetzlaff.
Born in Hamburg, Mr. Tetzlaff began intensive study of the violin at age 14, and attributes the establishment of his musical outlook to Uwe-Martin Haiberg, his teacher at the conservatory in Lübeck. He also studied with Walter Levine at the University of Cincinnati College–Conservatory of Music, and spent two summers at the Marlboro Music Festival.
As a 2010–2011 Carnegie Hall Perspectives artist, Mr. Tetzlaff appears with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble ACJW with Sir Simon Rattle, the Tetzlaff Quartet, and in a duo-recital with violinist Antje Weithaas. In addition, he leads a Professional Training Workshop for young violinists and pianists.
Mr. Tetzlaff’s season also includes appearances with the National and Toronto symphony orchestras; New World Symphony; Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin; the London Philharmonic Orchestra in Leipzig, Helsinki, and London; and a European tour with the San Francisco Symphony. He performs Bach’s complete sonatas and partitas in Lisbon, Dresden, and at the University of California at Berkeley, and performs Beethoven’s sonatas with pianist Alexander Lonquich in Tokyo and with the Tetzlaff Quartet throughout North America and Europe.
Mr. Tetzlaff’s highly regarded recordings include recent projects with the Russian National Orchestra and Kent Nagano, the Tonhalle-Orchester and David Zinman, Mitsuko Uchida and the Ensemble Intercontemporain led by Pierre Boulez, and Leif Ove Andsnes. Upcoming recording collaborations include the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and Mr. Boulez, and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra and Paavo Järvi.
Mr. Tetzlaff lives near Frankfurt with his wife, a clarinetist with the Oper Frankfurt, and their three children. He performs on a violin modeled after a Guarneri del Gesù made by Peter Greiner. In honor of his artistic achievements, Musical America named him Instrumentalist of the Year in 2005.