Wiener Musikakademie

VIOLIN - CHAMBER MUSIC

Barna Kobori was born in Kronstadt (Brasov, Romania). He has lived in Vienna since 1986 and became an Austrian citizen in 1988.
Barna began his violin studies at the age of five, and graduated from the music college in Cluj (Romania) in 1984. Following his graduation he became a member of the Brasov Philharmonic Orchestra, where he worked for two years. During this time he appeared as a soloist together with the orchestra and also performed at numerous recitals.
From 1987 until 1992 he studied at the Vienna University of Music with Prof. Günter Pichler (Alban Berg Quartet).
In 1987 Barna became a member of the Vienna Chamber Orchestra. He became an orchestra soloist in 1996. During this time he worked with great artists including Philippe Entremont, Sir Yehudi Menuhin, Sándor Végh, Sir Neville Marriner, Heinz Holliger and took part in many tours in Europe, USA, Japan and South America.
Since June 1998 Barna has been an associate of the Royal College of Music in London.
Barna was a chamber music lecturer at the Spanish Youth Orchestra JONDE as well as at the Jeunesse Camping in Salzburg.
In 1998 he formed the aron quartett together with Ludwig Mueller, Georg Hamann and Christophe Pantillon. The quartet made its debut in Vienna during the year of its foundation, and was highly acclaimed by press and public alike. Since then, the quartet has developed a wide-ranging repertoire – also in collaboration with Heinz Holliger, Heinrich Schiff and members of the Amadeus, LaSalle and Alban Berg quartets.
The aron quartett has performed together with artists such as Bruno Canino, Philippe Entremont, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Oleg Maisenberg, Wenzel Fuchs, Sharon Kam, Daniel Ottensamer and members of the Alban Berg quartet.
A busy concert schedule has so far taken the aron quartett through Europe, the USA, Mexico and Japan and to renowned festivals (Viennese Festival Weeks, international String Quartet Festival in Prague, Biennale di Venezia, Schoenberg Festival, “Klangbogen” Festival, Cervantino Festival, Kuhmo Festival, Stresa Festival, Enescu Festival, Carinthischer Sommer etc.). In 2001, the aron quartett made its debut at the Carnegie Hall in New York, and in 2002 at London’s Wigmore Hall and the Tchaikovsky Conservatoire in Moscow. In 2004, they made their debut at the Vienna Musikverein, where in 2007 they performed Korngold’s complete string quartets and his piano quintet in a four-part cycle. In 2008, the aron quartett founded the Laudon Castle Chamber Music Festival (Kammermusikfestival Schloss Laudon).
CD recordings include string quartets by Franz Schubert (“Rosamunde” and “Death and the Maiden”, Preiser Records 90549) and a CD box with Arnold Schoenberg’s complete works for string quartet (Preiser Records 90572) for which the aron quartett received the Pasticcio Prize. The international press acclaimed this CD as one of the best recordings of 20th century chamber music. The outstanding interpretation and technical excellence of these recordings not only demonstrate the aron quartett’s exceptional competence but also set new standards. Cascavelle has released the piano quintets by Dvorak and Frank in a recording with Philippe Entremont. For the German label cpo the quartet has recorded the complete string quartets by Erich Wolfgang Korngold as well as the piano quintet with Henri Sigfridsson and in March 2010 the CD (“Paris-Vienne-Moscou 1910 - 2010”) has been released bv Preiser Records. In 2013 cpo published a second CD with works by Korngold (string sextet with Th. Selditz and M. Diaz & Suite op. 23 with H. Sigfridsson) and in 2014  the Kammermusikfestival Schloss Laudon released a recording with works by Schubert, Eisler, Shostakovitch and Horovitz.