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Odyssee I



 

The Pythagoras Strings Berlin is an ensemble of string soloists who are closely linked in their artistic work to the Samian philosopher and creator of our tonal system. After Pythagoras had left his native Samos, disgusted by the tyranny there, he travelled throughout the entire world known to antiquity, studying different cultures, amassing knowledge from them and using them, he then founded the important Pythagorean school of learning.
Ancient sources report that he was able to cure people using sounds, which would appear to imply that he also worked as a music therapist. Pythagoras' observations of vibrating strings led him to an understanding for the numerical ratios underlying the harmonic series (1:2:3:4:5:6:7 etc.). From it, Pythagoras concluded that all other natural phenomena can be broken down and portrayed in terms of numbers too. This opinion was to become one of the bases of modern natural science and technology. From the principle activities we mentioned the inauguration in 2000 of „Goethe-Geburtstag“ in Weimar. Other important members of the Pythagoras Strings Berlin are the violinists Riyo Uemura and Thomas Wolf and the famous italian double bass soloist Fernando Grillo.

Pythagoras Strings Berlin leader Dimitri Tombassov, the Russian violin virtuoso,  received his education under Prof. Liebermann and Prof. Zachar Bron, who made him his assistant whilst still a student. Again, it was whilst still a student that he gave his first concerts with state orchestras in the USSR. He won numerous prizes amongst them the 1985 all Russian violin competition. At the same time, he began his career as a soloist in numerous violin concertos performed with leading orchestras of the USSR. Dimitri Tombassov became leader of the Moscow Philharmonic in 1987. Since 1989 he has played many concerts for IPPNW and has chosen to live in Berlin. Tombassov was 1.Violinist at the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra from 1991 to 1994.
Dimitri Tombassov has been the leader of the Pythagoras Strings Berlin since 1995, whilst still finding time to pursue his solo career. One main focus of his work is the interpretation of Niccolò Paganini’s works. He has been significantly involved in the education of a number of successful violinists (amongst others Maxim Vengerow and Viviane Hagener). Most recently, his interpretations of violin concertos by M. Weinberg and Sergei Prokofieff were received enthusiastically.       
The Berlin viola player Bettina Marquardt studied with Stefano Passaggio, Hariolf Schlichtig and Sándor Végh. She was a longtime member of the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie. After her studies she taught at the Conservatorio del Tolima in Colombia / Southamerica. After numerous concert tours, she is now a popular Chamber musician and pedagogue successful mainly in Berlin active. She is creating programs combining music and poetry in her ensemble “anima-inventrix-berlin” and is editing forgotten chambermusic works from British composer Ethel Mary Smyth.
Cellist and composer Thilo Thomas Krigar studied violoncello at the UdK Berlin under Markus Nyikos and under Stanislav Apolin, Siegfried Palm and Ottomar Borwitzky. His further studies included musicology under Carl Dahlhaus. From 1986 to 1988 he taught at the Conservatorio del Tolima in Colombia and concerned himself intensively with Latin American music. He founded the ensemble Pythagoras Strings Berlin in 1989. As a soloist and chamber musician he has given concerts in over thirty countries and at international festivals.
As a composer, Thilo Thomas Krigar wrote „West-Östlicher Divan – eine Musikalische Morgenlandfahrt“ for Weimar 1999; and „Odyssee“ for the Cultural Capital of Europe 1997. Over the years 2000-05 he created a symphony of life with "DNA-in-concert.com".      For the first time, the work presents the flow of genetic information - such as takes place in our cells about 70 million times at any moment - as an aesthetic experience.


   

P-Strings  Dimitri Tombassov – Violin                                                        Bettina Marquardt – Viola
                                                 Thilo Thomas Krigar – Cello

 

© Roland Kaplick