about
TRIO LIRICO
Trio Lirico, an ensemble of international renown, unites violinist Franziska Pietsch, violist Atilla Aldemir and cellist Hila Karni in a fascinating blend of cultural diversity and musical unity. Their different cultural backgrounds enrich the trio with a unique perspective on the universal language of music. Each of the three musicians has a varied and moving artistic career that has made them celebrated personalities on international stages.
In Trio Lirico, these personalities full of character combine their individual artistic paths into a common vision: a passion for chamber music. Their concerts are characterized by a unique blend of temperament, sparkling solo brilliance and captivating interpretations that form a string trio in a class of its own.
Founded in 2014 - originally with Franziska Pietsch on violin, Sophia Reuter on viola and Johannes Krebs on cello - the ensemble quickly made a name for itself on the international music scene. Their debut album, which they released in 2017 to mark the 100th anniversary of Max Reger's death, and further recordings with works by Weinberg, Schnittke and Pendercki , met with an enthusiastic international response and were nominated for prestigious awards such as the "ICMA" and the German Record Critics' Award 2020.
With a repertoire ranging from classical to contemporary music and the special inclusion of string duos in their programs, they offer a multi-layered concert experience. Since their debut at the Laeiszhalle Hamburg at the latest, numerous world premieres have been dedicated to the trio (Georg Biller, Thorsten Encke, Wolfgang Schultz)
Since the trio was founded, there have been two changes in the line-up - Hila Karni became the ensemble's cellist in 2020 and Atilla Aldemir has been the violist of Trio Lirico since 2023.
With the support of NEUSTART KULTUR, Trio Lirico was able to continue its visionary work and realize a CD production that once again fascinated the audience with an unusual repertoire. In addition to works by Dohnanyi, Kodaly and Ysaye, they had the privilege of recording the string trio of the world-renowned composer Peter Eötvös. The CD, released on the audite label in February 2024, has already been awarded a Supersonic and once again confirms the trio's innovative strength and is proof of their continuing artistic excellence.
Franziska Pietsch Violine
“One quickly hears that this soloist has something to say” is the verdict of “Treffpunkt Klassik” on “SWR 2”. That's no coincidence. Because the playing of a musician reflects the experiences of a lifetime. And that was extremely moving for Franziska Pietsch. Musically as well as humanly. At the young age of 12 she was already celebrated as a soloist in major violin concertos and recorded virtuoso pieces by Paganini and Sarasate. As a concert master in various orchestras she was immersed in the world of great symphonic works and opera before turning her attention fully to chamber music for a few years – particularly the duo, piano trio and string trio.
Today the circle has long since come full - and Franziska Pietsch impresses with Bach's sonatas and partitas for solo violin as well as with Prokofiev's violin concertos, for the recording of which she was awarded the German Record Critics' Quarterly Prize.
"Tonal sophistication, lyrical sensitivity, striking approach and effectively played out contrasts", confirmed "Fono Forum" and particularly emphasized Franziska Pietsch's creativity and her wealth of expressive facets.
The English magazine "Gramophone" was deeply moved by the special mixture of "raw expression" and "“special intimacy”". Regardless of the composer whose music she plays—be it Bach or Bartók, Grieg or Penderecki, Strauss or Shostakovich—Franziska Pietsch performs with an intensity which captivates without seeming sensationalist. Furthermore, when she indulges in her love for the string trio in the “Trio Lirico”, she is able to hold back when appropriate. This maturity may be founded in her personal history.
Born into a family of musicians in East Berlin, Franziska Pietsch was discovered and encouraged early on. She studied with the famous teacher Werner Scholz, made her debut as a soloist at the “Komische Oper” in Berlin at the age of eleven and a year later won the first prize of the “Bach Competition” for children and adolescents in Leipzig. While preparing for the “Menuhin Competition” in London, her father stayed in West Germany following a concert tour. It was two years before Franziska, her mother and her sister were allowed to leave the GDR, two years that were marked by reprisals, no violin lessons and no concerts. But also years in which she had to ask herself the fundamental questions - which way in life she wanted to go and what role music should play in it. Among other sources of inspiration, Johann Sebastian Bach's music was particularly important.
Starting over in 'the West' was difficult despite the fact that Ulf Hoelscher, one of the most renowned violinists in Germany, took her under his wing as a mentor. After winning the Maria Canals competition in 1989, she made the leap to New York at the age of 20 and studied at the Juilliard School with the legendary Dorothy DeLay. Moreover, she was inspired by master classes by Wanda Wilkomirska, Herman Krebbers, and Ruggiero Ricci.
Back in Germany, she took over the position of first concert master in the Wuppertal Symphony Orchestra for a few years and made guest appearances in the same position at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, the Frankfurt Opera, the Solistes Europèens and the Orchester Philharmonique de Luxembourg ( deuxieme soliste), among others.
From 2000 until 2014 she led the “Trio Testore” with which she recorded all piano trios by Brahms and founded the “Mai Klassik” festival. She has been playing in the Trio Lirico since 2015, currently with violist Atilla Aldemir and cellist Hila Karni. To this day, playing chamber music is just as important to her as working as a soloist with large orchestras. Her most recent partners include the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, the Kraków Philharmonic, and the Dortmund Concert Hall. Among the conductors she has collaborated with, there are such prominent names as Antoni Wit, Horst Stein, Arpad Joò, Moshe Atzmon, Julia Jones, Toshiyuki Kamioka, and Christian Macelaru.
Franziska Pietsch is also a welcome guest at chamber music festivals, such as the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, the Aspen Music Festival, or the Mettlach Chamber Music Days. Her CD recordings have received an outstanding response and have won awards. In 2021, Franziska Pietsch received the coveted "International Classical Music Award" for her CD "Fantasque", which she recorded with pianist Josu de Solaun.
A few years ago, a new facet was added to Franziska Pietsch's artistic work: in 2015 she published her own poems for the first time in a book with the artist Nasrah Nefer.
With her innovative project "musikMachtpoesie", she goes on an unconventional musical journey with a pianist and actor. In the harmonious alternation of music and language, the audience should be able to gain a deeper understanding of music as the poetic mouthpiece of the soul.
Inspired by this unusual concert format, she has now founded her own festival "WINTERKLASSIK".
The inaugural event will take place in January 2024 at the Sorbian Museum Bautzen, a special place where different cultures live and an ideal starting point for an exciting journey to music, language, and poetry.
She plays a violin made by Carlo Antonio Testore, Milan 1751.
Atilla Aldemir Viola
Atilla Aldemir was born in Istanbul in 1975 and studied music at the State Conservatory of the city’s Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University. On completing his studies there in 1994, he moved to Germany to perfect his technique with Prof. Lukas David at the Detmold University of Music and, from 1999, with Prof. Mintcho Mintchev at the Folkwang University in Essen, where he comple- ted his concert diploma with distinction in 2002. He also received valuable advice and encouragement from Barbara Górzynska and Matthias Maurer. Atilla Aldemir has received numerous awards and prizes, starting with the GWK Young Artist Award of the Society for the Promotion of Cultural Work in Westphalia (GWK) in 1998. In 2000 he won the first prize in the Istanbul Violin Competition and two years later received the Folkwang Prize. In 2005 he was a prizewinner at the 8. Int. Vaclav Huml Violin Competition in Zagreb and in 2006 won a special prize at the 25. Int. Rodolfo Lipizer Awards, when he was commended for his “passion for music” and “strong artistic temperament”. In 2007 he won the second prize for violin at the Fourteenth Int. Johannes Brahms Competition, when he also took away two special prizes. The following year he won the third prize for viola in the same competition as well as the prize for the best interpretation of a contemporary work. In 2011 he received a Donizetti Classical Musical Award as best Turkish string player.
Concert tours have taken Atilla Aldemir to numerous European countries as well as to the United States, Israel and Egypt. Among the concert halls where he has appeared are the Berlin Philharmonie, the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Vienna Musikverein, the Dresden State Opera and the Leipzig Gewandhaus. As a soloist he has also performed with the Salzburg Camerata, the Opéra Orchestre National Montpellier, the Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine, the Zagreb Philharmonic, the Berlin Konzerthaus Chamber Orchestra, the MDR Symphony Orchestra in Leipzig, the Borusan Philharmonic, the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra and all the State Symphony Orchestras in Turkey. Among the conductors with whom he has worked as a soloist are Iván Fischer, Kristjan Järvi, Lawrence Foster, Alexander Rahbari and Sascha Goetzel. His chamber music partners include not only Itamar Golan but also Fazil Say, Polina Leschenko and Jeremy Menuhin. Since April 2017 Atilla Aldemir has been the principal violist with the MDR Symphony Orchestra in Leipzig.
In 2021 Aldemir released his latest SACD (Recoding of the Year 2020 awarded by the MusicWeb International) of Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin (arranged for Solo Viola) by J.S. Bach at Cybele-Records, about which the press wrote:
Aldemir is one of the finest violists alive today, and his solo work on this disc is ample proof of this. Fanfare Magazine (James V. Maiello) 2021 [...] Turkish violist Atila Aldemir is an excellent musician, and he handles the musical and technical demands with intelligence and ease—a remarkable achievement considering his unusually large viola. The American Record Guide (Magil) 2021 [...] A superb and surprisingly rare Bach recording on viola... Music Web Internatinal - Dominy Clements (2020) [...] He is, indeed, a master on the viola in every meaning of the word: Technically, with perfect intonation, and passionately, with an unbelievably accurate sense of hitting the right mood at the right moment. His playing is addictive, someone said, and I believe it is indeed. HR-Audio (Adrian Quanjer) 2020
Hila Karni Violoncello
Hila Karni, an internationally acclaimed cellist, received her first musical training at the age of nine and just four years later began her impressive career and concert tours throughout Europe, Canada and the United States as a member of her first piano trio.
Her studies led her to world-renowned teachers such as David Geringas and Bernhard Greenhouse, who described Hila Karni as "one of the most musically sensitive and technically exciting cellists of her generation". She gained valuable insights into chamber music through Haim Traub and the Alban Berg Quartet.
In 2006, she founded the successful Trio Mondrian, which was internationally acclaimed for its art of interpretation and won numerous prizes, including first prize at the International Chamber Music Competition in Trieste, the "Young Award" and a special prize for the interpretation of a Brahms trio. At the 2008 Bologna Festival, the trio was awarded the Audience Prize and in 2009 received the prestigious Borletti-Buitoni Scholarship in London. Marcello Abbado dedicated a work to the ensemble entitled "Mondrian".
As a guest at numerous festivals, including the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival, the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, the Stresa Festival, the Kfar Blum Festival and the Ravinia Festival, and through concerts at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, the Megaron Concert Hall in Athens, the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels and the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Cologne Philharmonie, the Wigmore Hall in London and Carnegie Hall in New York, she has achieved international renown.
Her musical partners include renowned artists such as Boris Pergamentschikow, Ralf Gothoni and Nigel Kennedy.
Her recordings, in particular the "Romantic Serenades" and the Cello Concerto Op.33 by Robert Volkmann with the Hamburg Camerata,
of which she is the principal cellist, as well as Max Richter's "War Anthem" with the German Film Orchestra Babelsberg, have been highly praised by the international press. "Improvisus", composed by the Albanian composer Dhora Leka, was composed especially for her.
Between 2013 and 2025, she taught chamber music at the Hamburg University of Music and Drama.
She founded the successful chamber music series "Prelude Concerts", which offers young talents the unique opportunity to work and perform with professional musicians.
Hila Karni has been the cellist of Trio Lirico since 2020.
Critics voices:
“In the broad, romantic theme, cellist Hila Karni's intense tone burst forth in its beauty like a ray of light, and the small hall became utterly silent.
It was as if everything around them disappeared into darkness, only the cellist remained – and her tone, which rose to a final crescendo and then died down and faded away.”
Haaretz, Galeria Magazine
"The cellist Hila Karni has the most delicate cello sound that can be heard on our stages these days: her playing is sensitive and of great tonal beauty, completely imbued with music and musicality, and her solo performances were fascinating."
Haaretz, Galeria Magazine