Stross Quartet
| Company type | String quartet |
|---|---|
| Industry | Classical music |
| Founded | 1922 |
| Defunct | 1966 |
| Headquarters | Cologne, Munich , Germany |
Key people | Wilhelm Stross (first violinist) |
| Products | Classical music performances and recordings |
The Stross-Quartett—initially known as the "Quartet of the Cologne Student Period" and later the "Grümmer Quartet"—was a prominent German string quartet active in Cologne from 1922 to 1931 and subsequently in Munich between 1934 and 1966. The ensemble derived its name from its long-standing first violinist, Wilhelm Stross.
History
Drawing inspiration from the legacy of Joseph Joachim, the Stross Quartet played a pivotal role in defining the German string quartet landscape during the early twentieth century, alongside renowned groups such as the Klingler Quartet, Busch Quartet, and Amar Quartet.
Throughout World War II, members of the quartet were exempted from conscription, enabling them to continue performing at Wehrmacht concerts, events organized by the NSDAP and Kraft durch Freude, as well as in military hospitals. After the war, they resumed their activities within Allied-occupied Germany, establishing themselves as one of the foremost string quartets in Germany alongside the Koeckert Quartet.
Their international presence grew through tours spanning Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America. In the early 1960s, with support from the Goethe-Institut, they held performances in countries including Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Cyprus, and Greece. Their collaborations with distinguished ensembles such as the Paris-based Loewenguth Quartet and the wind section of the Vienna Philharmonic further elevated their global standing.
Following Wilhelm Stross’s passing in 1966, Ingo Sinnhoffer chose to dissolve the quartet. Subsequently, violinist Josef Märkl together with cellist Rudolf Metzmacher established the Märkl Quartet in 1968, thereby continuing the artistic tradition.
The quartet’s vast repertoire encompassed works by composers such as Bach, Bartók, Brahms, Bruckner, Dvořák, Haydn, Hindemith, Ravel, Schumann, Verdi, among others. They were particularly noted for performing complete cycles of compositions by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Franz Schubert. Additionally, they premiered contemporary pieces by Martin Karl Hasse, Oscar von Pander, Richard Trunk, and Mordechai Sheinkman.
Through numerous recordings and radio broadcasts, the Stross Quartet made a significant contribution to spreading classical music.
Members
Throughout its existence, the ensemble experienced various lineup changes; however, Wilhelm Stross remained its steadfast Primarius:
- 1st Violin: Wilhelm Stross (1922–1929; 1929–1966), Hans-Detlev Grümmer (1929), Ingo Sinnhoffer (1966)
- 2nd Violin: Otto Holm (1922–1929), Wilhelm Stross (1929), Hermes (1929–1931), Anton Huber (1934–1937), Franz Schmidtner (1937/38), Richard Heber (1938–1944), Karl-Albrecht Hermann (1944–1949), Heinz Endres (1949–1952), Kurt-Christian Stier (1952–1961), Oskar C. Yatko (1961–1964), Josef Märkl (1964–1966)
- Viola: Fritz Lang (1921–1929), Hermann Zitzmann (1929), Otto Holm (1929–1931), Valentin Härtl (1934–1948; 1952–1958), Siegfried Meinecke (1948–1952), Georg Schmid (1958–1961), Ingo Sinnhoffer (1961–1963), Gérard Ruymen (1963–1966)
- Violoncello: Kurt Friedrich (1922–1929), Paul Grümmer (1929; 1937–1940), A. Johnen (1929–1931), Anton Walter (1934–1937), Rudolf Metzmacher (1940–1966)
Discography
- Ludwig van Beethoven: String Quartets op. 18/2 (1939) and op. 59/2 (released by Deutsche Grammophon, 1942)
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: String Quintet KV 516 featuring Philipp Haaß (Deutsche Grammophon, 1942)
- Franz Schubert: String Quintet D 956 with Heinz Decker (1949) and Oswald Uhl (Sound Star-Tonproduktion, 1964)
- Ludwig van Beethoven: String Quartet No. 16 op. 135 (Aarton-Music, 1965)
Further reading
- Wolfgang Gruhle: Streichquartett-Lexikon: Komponisten, Werke, Interpreten. 3rd edition, TRIGA – Der Verlag, Gelnhausen 2005, page 323.
- Alain Pâris: Klassische Musik im 20. Jahrhundert. Second edition, dtv, Munich 1997, page 1056.
- Jürgen Stegmüller: Das Streichquartett. Eine internationale Dokumentation zur Geschichte der Streichquartett-Ensembles und -Kompositionen. Noetzel, Wilhelmshaven 2007, pages 226 and following.