Thomas Zehetmair

Thomas Zehetmair enjoys wide international acclaim as a violinist as well as a conductor. He is Principal Conductor of the Orchestre national Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and his position of Chief Conductor of the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra has been extended until summer 2029.

He has received much inspiration from his work as a soloist with Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Frans Brüggen, David Zinman, Daniel Barenboim, Sir Simon Rattle and Paavo Järvi. As a conductor he has appeared with orchestras including Hamburg, London, Rotterdam and Seoul Philharmonic orchestras, Hallé, Scottish and Swedish Chamber orchestras, Detroit and Seattle Symphony orchestras, Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Mozarteum Orchester and Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León.

He has an extensive and varied discography as a violinist, conductor and with the Zehetmair Quartet. His recording of the Paganini Caprices won a MIDEM Classique Award and he received Gramophone Awards for his Elgar Concerto with Sir Mark Elder and the Szymanowski concertos with Sir Simon Rattle. The Zehetmair Quartet’s recording of Schumann won Gramophone’s Record of the Year and four other international prizes. In 2020 he received an Opus Klassik Award for his recording of Bach’s Solo Sonatas and Partitas. Recently released recordings include symphonies by Haydn and works by Schoenberg, Bartók, Beethoven, Brahms and Mozart.

He has more recently been developing his interest in composition and arrangements; compositions of note include his Rondo for violin and cello, Passacaglia, Burlesque and Chorale for string trio and Variations on a Mediaeval Theme for solo viola. His Double Concerto for viola, cello and strings was premiered in November.

Highlights of this season include touring in Asia with both the Orchestre national Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, a return to the St Paul Chamber Orchestra and performances of Szymanowski’s Second Violin Concerto with Orchestre National de Lyon. He also forms a duo partnership with Pierre-Laurent Aimard.

The Zehetmair Quartet has been awarded the Paul Hindemith Prize by the City of Hanau for outstanding musical achievement. Thomas Zehetmair was honoured with the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik and holds honorary doctorates from the Liszt University in Weimar and Newcastle University.

Arweinydd

Mae Thomas Zehetmair yn fawr ei fri yn rhyngwladol fel feiolinydd yn ogystal ag fel arweinydd. Ef yw Prif Arweinydd Orchestre National d’Auvergne et Rhone-Alps ac mae ei swydd fel Prif Arweinydd Cerddorfa Siambr Stuttgart wedi’i hymestyn tan haf 2029.

Cafodd gryn ysbrydoliaeth wrth weithio fel unawdydd gyda Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Frans Brüggen, David Zinman, Daniel Barenboim, Syr Simon Rattle a Paavo Järvi. Fel arweinydd mae wedi ymddangos gyda cherddorfeydd sy’n cynnwys cerddorfeydd Ffilharmonig Hamburg, Llundain, Rotterdam a Seoul, yr Hallé, cerddorfeydd Siambr yr Alban a Sweden, cerddorfeydd Symffoni Detroit a Seattle, Cerddorfa’r 18fed Ganrif, Cerddorfa Gŵyl Budapest, Mozarteum Orchester ac Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León.

Mae ganddo ddisgograffeg helaeth ac amrywiol fel feiolinydd, arweinydd a gyda phedwarawd y Zehetmair Quartett. Enillodd ei recordiad o Caprices Paganini Wobr MIDEM Classic a derbyniodd Wobrau Gramophone am ei Goncerto Elgar gyda Syr Mark Elder a choncertos Szymanowski gyda Syr Simon Rattle. Enillodd recordiad y Zehetmair Quartett o Schumann wobr Record y Flwyddyn gan Gramophone ynghyd â phedair gwobr ryngwladol arall. Yn 2020 derbyniodd Wobr Opus Klassik am ei recordiad o Sonatas a Phartitas Bach i ffidil unigol. Ymhlith ei recordiadau diweddar mae symffonïau gan Haydn a gweithiau gan Schoenberg, Bartók, Beethoven, Brahms a Mozart.

Yn fwy diweddar mae wedi bod yn datblygu ei ddiddordeb mewn cyfansoddi a threfnu; ymhlith ei gyfansoddiadau nodedig mae ei Rondo ar gyfer ffidil a soddgrwth, Passacaglia, Bwrlésg a Chorâl ar gyfer triawd llinynnol ac Amrywiadau dros thema ganoloesol i fiola unigol. Perfformiwyd ei Goncerto Dwbl i fiola, soddgrwth a llinynnau am y tro cyntaf ym mis Tachwedd.

Ymhlith uchafbwyntiau’r tymor hwn mae taith yn Asia gydag Orchestre National d’Auvergne et Rhone-Alps a Cherddorfa Siambr Stuttgart, dychweliad at Gerddorfa Siambr St Paul a pherfformiadau o Ail Concerto Szymanowski i’r Ffidil gydag Orchestre National de Lyon. Mae hefyd yn perfformio mewn deuawd gyda Pierre-Laurent Aimard.

Mae’r Zehetmair Quartett wedi derbyn Gwobr Paul Hindemith gan Ddinas Hanau am gyflawniad cerddorol eithriadol. Anrhydeddwyd Thomas Zehetmair gan y Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik ac mae ganddo ddoethuriaethau er anrhydedd gan Brifysgol Liszt yn Weimar a Phrifysgol Newcastle.