Conrad Ansorge - String Quartets; Cello Sonata (Orpheus Quartet; Peter Hörr; Oliver Triendl)

Information

Composer: Conrad Ansorge

• String Quartet No. 1 in A flat major, Op. 13 “Vigilien”
• String Quartet No. 2 in A major, Op. 20
• Cello Sonata in D minor, Op. 24

Orpheus Quartet

    Mark Gothoni, violin

    Timothy Summers, violin

    Emile Cantor, viola

    Laurentiu Sbareca, cello

Peter Hörr, cello

Oliver Triendl, piano

Date: 2026

Label: CPO

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Conrad Ansorge remains an intriguing yet underrepresented figure in music history, best remembered as a student of Franz Liszt and mentor to luminaries like Wilhelm Furtwängler. Dubbed the “metaphysician” of the piano, his own compositions have long been absent from the recorded canon. This groundbreaking release doubles the available Ansorge discography by introducing his two string quartets and cello sonata. Drawing deep inspiration from Beethoven’s late quartets, Ansorge’s musical language combines expansive recitatives, intricate counterpoint, and expressive lyricism with unconventional structures and haunting sonic effects. The result is a captivating, rhetorically rich experience that invites repeated listening and scholarly reevaluation.

German pianist and composer Conrad Ansorge (1862–1930) studied at the Leipzig Conservatory before attending Franz Liszt’s famous late masterclasses alongside contemporaries like Moriz Rosenthal. Associated with Rudolf Steiner in Weimar and Berlin, Ansorge taught at the Klindworth-Scharwenka Conservatory and later headed the piano department at the German Academy in Prague. Known as an intellectual pianist, a legacy reflected in his student Eduard Erdmann, Ansorge specialized in Beethoven, Schumann, and Schubert. His compositional output features a Requiem, chamber works, and three piano sonatas, while his rare, late-1920s recordings for Parlophone and Vox highlight a thoughtful, artistically distinctive Liszt pupil.

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