Daniel Stabrawa (born 23 August 1955 in

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

) is a

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

ist and conductor.

Life

Daniel Stabrawa began playing the violin at the age of seven and studied playing the violin at the Music Academy in

with Zbigniew Szlezer. In 1979 he became

concertmaster The concertmaster (from the German ''Konzertmeister''), first chair (U.S.) or leader (U.K.) is the principal first violin player in an orchestra (or clarinet in a concert band). After the conductor, the concertmaster is the second-most signifi ...

of the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Kraków. In 1983 he joined the first violins of the

Berlin Philharmonic The Berlin Philharmonic (german: Berliner Philharmoniker, links=no, italic=no) is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world. History The Berlin Philharmonic was fo ...

. In 1985 he founded the internationally renowned

Philharmonia Quartet Berlin The Philharmonia Quartet Berlin is a string quartet founded in 1985 by members of the Berlin Philharmonic. Among the long-standing members were principal players of the orchestra, concertmaster Daniel Stabrawa, second violinist Christian Stadel ...

together with three colleagues from the Berlin Philharmonic. In 1986 he became one of the three first concertmasters of the Berlin Philharmonic as the successor of

Michel Schwalbé Michel Schwalbé (27 October 1919 – 8 October 2012) was a French violinist of Polish origin. Biography Born in Radom (Poland), Schwalbé studied in his youth with Moritz Frenkel, then continued his studies in Paris and worked with Georges Enes ...

under the conductor

Herbert von Karajan Herbert von Karajan (; born Heribert Ritter von Karajan; 5 April 1908 – 16 July 1989) was an Austrian conductor. He was principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic for 34 years. During the Nazi era, he debuted at the Salzburg Festival, wit ...

, a position he held until his retirement in 2021. From 1986 to 2000 he taught at the Orchestra Academy of the Berlin Philharmonic. Since 1994 Daniel Stabrawa acts also as a conductor. He worked together with internationally renowned artists such as

Nigel Kennedy Nigel Kennedy (born 28 December 1956) is an English violinist and violist. His early career was primarily spent performing classical music, and he has since expanded into jazz, klezmer, and other music genres. Early life and background Kenn ...

and

Albrecht Mayer Albrecht Mayer (born 3 June 1965) is a German classical oboist and conductor. The principal oboist of the Berlin Philharmonic, he is internationally known as a soloist and chamber musician and has made many recordings. Biography Born in Erlangen, ...

. Daniel Stabrawa is married to the concert pianist Elżbieta Stabrawa. His daughter Maria Stabrawa is also an international violinist. Together with her and several other string musicians in 2008 he founded the Stabrawa Ensemble Berlin.

Discography (selection)

* All quartet recordings at label ''Thorofon'' *

Antonio Vivaldi Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist and impresario of Baroque music. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lifetime was widespread a ...

: The Vivaldi Album Vol 1, Nigel Kennedy and Daniel Stabrawa (violin) EMI 5576482 (2004) * Antonio Vivaldi: The Vivaldi Album Vol 2, Nigel Kennedy and Daniel Stabrawa (violin) EMI 5578592 (2004) * Romantic oboe concertos in the 20th Century, Albrecht Mayer (oboe), Capella Bydgostiensis, conducted by Daniel Stabrawa, Cavalli Records CCD 408 (2003) *

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

: Concerto for Two Violins in D minor, BWV 1043, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Nigel Kennedy and Daniel Stabrawa (violin), EMI 57 091 (2000)

References

Daniel Stabrawa - 1. Konzertmeister, Berliner Philharmoniker
English
Philharmonia Quartett
English
Daniel Stabrawa im Musikarchiv der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek
German
Daniel Stabrawa, Mater Dolorosa
German {{DEFAULTSORT:Stabrawa, Daniel Concertmasters 1955 births Living people Polish conductors (music) Male conductors (music) Polish classical violinists Male classical violinists 21st-century conductors (music) 21st-century classical violinists 21st-century male musicians