Our annual Stretton Winter takes us to St. Moritz’s snow covered mountains. With his chamber music program, Kian Soltani—our artistic director and one of our most outstanding cellists—creates enchanted moments at San Gian Church, Engadin’s historical landmark from the 15th century.

“His cello sound has the fuzz and richness of caramel, and he plays with an easy warmth, drawing the orchestra after him like a halo around a candle flame.” The Washington Post

Ever since Kian Soltani won the International Paulo Cello Competition in Helsinki in 2013, the praise from the press has not stopped. The Times describes him as a “remarkable cellist”, and Gramophone praises his playing as “sheer perfection”. Supported by Daniel Barenboim and Anne-Sophie Mutter, Kian studied in the Young Soloists Program at Kronberg Academy and the International Music Academy of Liechtenstein. Today he travels the world, giving concerts with his mentor Barenboim, the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic and on the renowned stages of Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall and the Lucerne Festival. Kian currently plays with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and the Munich Philharmonic. After his Stretton Society concert, Kian will tour with the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra and perform with the Wiener Symphoniker, the Tonhalle Zurich Orchestra, the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra and at the Alte Oper Frankfurt.

The annual Stretton Summer Festival takes place at the Eibenhof in Bad Saarow. Alexa and Johannes von Salmuth open their house, courtyard, and the beautiful garden of the Eibenhof on the Saarow peninsula to us as hosts of this summer event. Amihai Grosz is our artistic director.

“But the spotlight fell on viola player Amihai Grosz, […]. His bowing arm has near mechanical energy[1]  while his resonant tone flickers between coarse and silken, glabrous and scabrous.”— The Guardian

Amihai is the 1st Principal violist of the Berlin Philharmonic and one of his generation’s most sought-after soloists and chamber musicians. In 1995, he founded the Jerusalem String Quartet, which today is one of the most celebrated chamber music ensembles in the world. As a soloist, Amihai plays with the most renowned orchestras and on the stages of international concert halls and festivals, such as Concertgebouw, Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, Wigmore Hall, Philharmonie Luxembourg, Jerusalem International Chamber Music Festival, Delft Chamber Music Festival, Verbier Festival or BBC Proms.

In Stretton Autumn we follow the music to Austria. Albena Danailova and Rainer Honeck are both 1st concertmasters of the Vienna State Opera and the Vienna Philharmonic. As our artistic directors they create a program whose roots lie deep in the history and tradition of European classical music.

“In a major symphony orchestra, the title concertmaster recognizes a significant measure of innate and achieved authority on the part of its holder and confers an even greater measure of authority over the ensemble and its interpretations. […] Bulgarian violinist Albena Danailova was named one of the concertmasters of the Vienna State Opera Orchestra, a traditionally male bastion […].”— The New York Times

Albena is the first female concertmaster in the history of the Vienna State Opera and Vienna Philharmonic. Before that, she was concertmaster at the Bavarian State Opera and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. As a celebrated soloist and chamber musician, Albena plays in Asia, Germany, Israel, the USA, and her home country Bulgaria. She is regularly in the recording studio for Deutschlandradio Kultur and Norddeutscher Rundfunk. Since 2011, leading the Ensemble Wien has been part of her successful career and international prizes.

“[…] above all […] concertmaster Rainer Honeck, who performs his solo parts with great modesty and yet so au point that it is a pleasure.”—Wiener Zeitung

Rainer is the 1st concertmaster of the Vienna State Opera and Vienna Philharmonic. He leads the chamber music ensemble Wiener Virtuosen. As a renowned soloist, he plays concerts in Europe, Asia, and the USA on famous stages like the Royal Albert Hall or the Suntory Hall. Rainer’s worldwide reputation was followed by invitations to conduct. He directed the Malmö Symphony Orchestra, the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, the Kioi Sinfonietta Tokyo, the Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra, the Mariinsky Orchestra St. Petersburg, and the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra. He passes his experience and knowledge on to talented young artists in masterclasses such as Carnegie Hall.