Rainer Küchl is an Austrian violinist who was born in

Waidhofen an der Ybbs Waidhofen an der Ybbs (, ) is a statutory city ''(Statutarstadt)'' in the Austrian state of Lower Austria. The city had a population of 11,662 as of the 2001 census and an area of 131.56 km². It was first mentioned in 1186 and has been the e ...

, Austria, 25 August 1950.

Background

He started to play the violin at the age of 11, and was admitted to the

University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna The University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (, abbreviated MDW) is an Austrian university established in 1817 located in Vienna. With a student body of over three thousand, it is the largest institution of its kind in Austria, and one of t ...

, at the age of 14, where he studied with Franz Samohyl. From 1971 to 2016 he was

concertmaster The concertmaster (from the German language, German ''Konzertmeister''), first chair (U.S.) or leader (UK) is the principal first violin player in an orchestra (clarinet or oboe in a concert band). After the Conducting, conductor, the concertma ...

of the

Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Vienna Philharmonic (VPO; ) is an orchestra that was founded in 1842 and is considered to be one of the finest in the world. The Vienna Philharmonic is based at the Musikverein in Vienna, Austria. Its members are selected from the orchestra of ...

and also of the orchestra of the

Vienna State Opera The Vienna State Opera (, ) is a historic opera house and opera company based in Vienna, Austria. The 1,709-seat Renaissance Revival venue was the first major building on the Vienna Ring Road. It was built from 1861 to 1869 following plans by ...

. As a soloist he has worked with some of the world's most famous orchestras and conductors, such as

Karl Böhm Karl August Leopold Böhm (28 August 1894 – 14 August 1981) was an Austrian conductor. He was best known for his performances of the music of Mozart, Wagner, and Richard Strauss. Life and career Education Karl Böhm was born in Graz, St ...

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; born Louis Bernstein; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was th ...

Claudio Abbado Claudio Abbado (; 26 June 1933 – 20 January 2014) was an Italian conductor who was one of the leading conductors of his generation. He served as music director of the La Scala opera house in Milan, principal conductor of the Berlin Philharm ...

Riccardo Muti Riccardo Muti (; born 28 July 1941) is an Italian conductor. He is current music director of the Orchestra Giovanile Luigi Cherubini. Muti has previously held posts at the Maggio Musicale in Florence, the Philharmonia Orchestra in London, the ...

Carlos Kleiber Carlos Kleiber (3 July 1930 – 13 July 2004) was a German-born Austrian conductor, who is widely regarded as among the greatest conductors of all time. The son of the conductor Erich Kleiber, he was particularly known for the Romantic rep ...

Valery Gergiev Valery Abisalovich Gergiev (, ; ; born 2 May 1953) is a Russian conducting, conductor and opera company director. He is currently general director and artistic director of the Mariinsky Theatre and of the Bolshoi Theatre and artistic director o ...

, and

Simon Rattle Sir Simon Denis Rattle (born 19 January 1955) is a British conductor with German citizenship. He rose to international prominence during the 1980s and 1990s, while music director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (1980–1998). Rat ...

. In 1973 he founded the

string quartet The term string quartet refers to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two Violin, violini ...

''Küchl Quartett'' which is now known as the ''Wiener Musikverein Quartett''. Since 1976, the quartet has its own concert series at the Brahmssaal of the Musikverein Vienna. Rainer Küchl is a professor at the

University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna The University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (, abbreviated MDW) is an Austrian university established in 1817 located in Vienna. With a student body of over three thousand, it is the largest institution of its kind in Austria, and one of t ...

since 1982. Among his pupils were

Wolfgang David Wolfgang David (born Wolfgang Sengstschmid in St. Pölten, Lower Austria) is an Austrian violinist. Biography Viennese violinist Wolfgang David (born Wolfgang Sengstschmid in St. Pölten, Austria), established himself on the international s ...

and Joji Hattori. Rainer Küchl plays 'The Chaconne' by

Antonio Stradivari Antonio Stradivari (, also , ; – 18 December 1737) was an Italian luthier and a craftsman of string instruments such as violins, cellos, guitars, violas and harps. The Latinisation of names, Latinized form of his surname, ''Stradivarius'', a ...

, Cremona 1725, provided as a loan by

Oesterreichische Nationalbank The (, , abbr. ) is the National central bank (Eurosystem), national central bank for Austria within the Eurosystem. It was the Austrian central bank from 1923 to 1938 and from 1945 to 1998, issuing the Austrian schilling, shilling. It star ...

Decorations and awards

*1973: Mozart Interpretation Prize for solo performances *1978: Mozart Medal of the

Mozart Society of Vienna Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age resulted in more than 80 ...

(award of Küchl Quartet) *1985: Gold Medal of the province of Salzburg *1988:

Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art The Austrian Decoration for Science and Art () is a state decoration of the Republic of Austria and forms part of the Austrian national honours system. History The "Austrian Decoration for Science and Art" was established by the National Co ...

*1994:

Grand Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria The Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria () is a state decoration of the Republic of Austria. It is divided into 15 classes and is the highest award in the Austrian national honours system. History The Decoration of Hono ...

*2001: Honorary Member of the Vienna State Opera *2010:

Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese honors system, Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge feat ...

, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon - Contributed to the promotion of the cultural relations and mutual understanding between Japan and the Republic of Austria

Sources

External links

Rainer Küchl Official Website
* * 1950 births Living people People from Waidhofen an der Ybbs Musicians from Lower Austria 20th-century Austrian male musicians 20th-century Austrian classical violinists 21st-century Austrian classical violinists Austrian violinists Austrian male classical violinists Concertmasters of the Vienna Philharmonic Players of the Vienna Philharmonic University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna alumni Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun, 3rd class Recipients of the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art Recipients of the Grand Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria {{Austria-bio-stub