weinstadt artists management – s.p.r.l.u.
member of the european association of artists managers
CHRISTIAN POLTÉRA
"It is no exaggeration to state that this rapt performance presents this noble concerto with an
inspirational intensity to compare with the celebrated Du Pré/Barbirolli recording of the Elgar
Concerto."
- Editor's Choice, Gramophone Magazine [Frank Martin: Concerto for Cello and Orchestra (BIS)]
Born in Zurich, cellist Christian Poltéra was a pupil of Nancy Chumachenco and Boris
Pergamenschikov before studying with Heinrich Schiff in Salzburg and Vienna. Since replacing YoYo Ma performing the Elgar concerto with the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich under David Zinman at
the age of 17, Mr. Poltéra has steadily established himself as one of the most prominent cellists of
his generation.
As soloist he has worked with eminent orchestras including the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra,
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, NDR Hamburg Orchestra, Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Vienna
and Bamberg Symphonies, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Orchestra Santa Cecilia in Rome,
Orchestre de Paris, Orchestre National de Lyon, BBC Philharmonic, BBC Scottish Symphony,
Camerata Salzburg, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and Chamber Orchestra of Europe
under such conductors as Bernard Haitink, Riccardo Chailly, Christoph von Dohnanyi, Sir John
Eliot Gardiner, Leonard Slatkin, Sir Andrew Davis, Paavo Järvi, Donald Runnicles, as well as the
leading conductors of the younger generation, such as James Gaffigan, Robin Ticciati, Vasily
Petrenko and Andris Nelsons. Mr. Poltéra made his solo debut in the US in 2006 with the American
Symphony Orchestra at Avery Fisher Hall in New York.
Upcoming highlights include appearances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the SWR Stuttgart
Radio Symphony, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the Oslo Opera Orchestra, the
Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Bach Collegium Munich, the Toledo,
Greenville and Naples Symphonies, as well as return visits to the Salzburg and Edinburgh
Festivals.
Mr. Poltéra also devotes himself intensively to chamber music, working with such musicians as
Gidon Kremer, Christian Tetzlaff, Leonidas Kavakos, Martin Fröst, Kathryn Stott, Lars Vogt, and
Leif Ove Andsnes, as well as the Auryn, Belcea, and Zehetmair Quartets. In 2008 he joined
Mitsuko Uchida in performances of Messiaen's "Quartet for the End of Time", at Carnegie's Zankel
Hall and the Kimmell Center in Philadelphia. Together with violinist Frank Peter Zimmermann and
violist Antoine Tamestit, Christian Poltéra has formed a regular string trio that performs at the most
prestigious concert venues in Paris, London, Amsterdam, Vienna, Cologne, Brussels, and Milan,
as well as at the Salzburg and Edinburgh Festivals.
In 2004 he received the Borletti-Buitoni Award and was selected as a BBC New Generation Artist.
In 2006-07 he was a 'Rising Star' of the European Concert Hall Organization. He is a regular guest
at renowned festivals (such as Salzburg, Lucerne, Berlin, and Vienna) and made his BBC Proms
debut with the BBC Symphony Orchestra in 2007.
Christian Poltéra's discography reflects his wide range of repertoire that includes the cello
concertos by Dvorak, Lutoslawski, Dutilleux, Schoeck, Honegger, Martin, and Toch, as well as
chamber music by Prokofiev, Fauré, Mozart, Saint-Saens and Schubert, on the labels BIS
Records, Deutsche Grammophon, EMI, Sony and Chandos. These recordings have won acclaim
from the international press, and have been honored with the Diapason d'or, Gramophone
Magazine's "Editor's Choice", Strad Magazine's "Strad Selection", and BBC Music Magazine's
"Choice". Now recording regularly for BIS, Mr. Poltéra's upcoming releases include the cello
concerto by Samuel Barber (Bergen Philharmonic/Andrew Litton) Beethoven Trios with Frank
Peter Zimmermann and Antoine Tamestit, and a Dvorak Album with pianist Kathryn Stott.
Christian Poltéra plays the famous cello "Mara", built in 1711 by Antonio Stradivari.
2014
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