Chamber music:
Chamber music in various formations is a passion for Andra Darzins.
Together with longstanding friends, the Vogler String Quartett, and with cellist Lucas Fels (Arditti Quartett) she recently performed String sextetts by Strauss, Sciarrino and Schoenberg in Konzerthaus Berlin in 2022. This programm they repeated in Homburg and Stuttgart. More information here:
One of Andra Darzins favorite formations is playing in trio with flute, viola and harp. Here an excerpt from a concert in 2022 in Stuttgart with Marta Femenia, flute and Emilie Jaulmes, harp.
Orchestra:
For almost every violist, orchestral playing is an important and integral part of professional life.
After leaving her position as first-solo-viola of the Hamburg Philharmonic orchestra to become full-time professor at the University of Music in Berlin and thereafter Stuttgart, Andra has continued playing in renowned orchestras as guest principal viola.
Andra Darzins considers orchestral playing as a musical enrichment besides her other activities and to be important for her teaching. Various students coming from her viola class have found their way into top orchestras and/or leading orchestral positions.
While studying in Berlin from 1985-89 she played regularly as a substitute player in the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. This was an honour, a remarkable experience and the best orchestral training one can imagine. Within this orchestra, she played regularly in the Berlin Philharmonic hall with wonderful conductors and soloists ( Karajan, Levine, Haitink, Mehta, Ozawa, Muti to name a few) She participated in concerts tours within Europe ( under Karajan), in the USA (under Levine) and in Japan (under Ozawa) and participated various times within this orchestra in the Salzburger Festspiele (Karajan)
After finishing her studies in Berlin Andra held various permanent positions as a leading player in major german orchestras.
1989-91 she was a leading player (Vorspieler) in the Radio-Symphony Orchestra in Stuttgart.
1991-93 she was deputy principal viola in the Deutsches-Symphony Orchestra in Berlin. (under Vladimir Ashkenazy)
1993-2004 she was principal solo-viola in the Hamburg Philharmonic orchestra. (chief conductors Gerd Albrecht and Ingo Metzmacher) She was given the opportunity to perform as a soloist repeatedly with this orchestra, performing concertos from Bartok, Hindemith, Alfred Schnittke, Janni Christou, Michael Tippett and Mozart) She also performed in various chamber music concerts together with Ingo Metzmacher as pianist.
She has played as guest principal viola in the following orchestras:
Munich Philharmonic. Concerts in Munich ( with Maazel. Gergiev, Ivan Fischer and others) and in Lucerne. (unforgettable the Asia tour to Japan, Korea and China under Lorin Maazel)
Staatskapelle Berlin (also under Barenboim)
Symphony Orchestra of the Bavarian Radio ( with Sir Simon Rattle)
Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, concerts in Hamburg, Lübeck, European tour with Thomas Hengelbrock
Tonhalle Orchestra Zürich (unforgettable Bruckner 4. with Herbert Blomstedt)
Radio-Symphony orchestra Frankfurt (lovely „birthday“ concert with Peter Eötvös)
Australian World Orchestra (with Zubin Mehta, Sir Simon Rattle, Riccardo Muti and AWO founder Alex Briger)
Andra Darzins has also played as violist in the Ensemble-Modern-Orchestra unter Enno Poppe
Chamber Music: Viola and Piano
Andra Darzins affiliates with a handful of pianists over a long time span. With these partners she has longstanding musical friendships and gives recitals and makes recordings for CDs , radio and for her internet presence. She loves to play both well known and lesser known works, is willing to discover new repertoire and likes to give moderated concerts, in which she shares her knowledge and insights about the works performed with the listeners.
Together with the Latvian pianist Ventis Zilberts, Andra Darzins has released three CDs, mainly with works from Latvian composers. Ventis Zilberts is Professor for piano and chamber music at the Latvian National Musik Academy (JVLMA).
With her University colleague, Andreas Kersten, Andra Darzins recorded a CD Latvian Impressions and both highly virtuoso Sonatas from the english composer York Bowen (see Spotify and iTunes)
Over a span of decades Andra Darzins has played many concerts with the wonderful pianist Lauma Skride. Most recently, in July 2023, they premiered the composition “Evanescent Wave” by the Latvian composer Anna Veismane. For autumn 2023 two works are planned for release in Spotify, the Suite for Viola and Piano of Ernest Bloch and Hindemiths Sonata op. 11/4.
Together with university colleague, Prof. Kolja Lessing , Andra Darzins appears regularly in concert. (see You Tube excerpts)
Together with a lonstanding colleague from Berlin, Prof. Wolfgang Kühnl, Andra Darzins recorded both Brahms viola sonatas. (see YouTube and Bandcamp)
Viola and recitation…
Andra Darzins finds interdisciplinary projects enriching. In 2018 , together with university colleague Prof. Annegret Müller, they developed a programm “Silence and Music” in which Annegret Müller recited texts by Rilke and Andra Darzins performed works for solo viola of Bach, Hohvaness and Kurtag.
They performed another programm titled “Bach and Bacchus” 2021 in the music festival “Klanglese Kirbachtal”.
Viola and electronic music…
Andra Darzins affiliates with the experimental deep techno artist Laima Adelaide. Performances with live improvisation are presently in planning. Here a few impressions…..