Cello – ex Alban Berg Quartett
(Austria)
Valentin Erben was born in 1945 in Pernitz. His family moved to Augsburg in 1947. His mother, a pianist, and his father, an amateur violinist and cellist, regularly invited friends to musical evenings. Valentin Erben was exposed to music at a very early age. He received his first cello – a modified viola – at the age of four. After his debut with his father, he took lessons with Paul Freidel, solo cellist of the Municipal Symphony Orchestra and student of Julius Klengel, from the age of eight.
Influenced by numerous musical encounters – concerts at the Herkulessaal in Munich with Rudolf Serkin and the Végh Quartet, a trip to visit Pablo Casals – he nurtured the desire to become a cellist from a young age. In 1960, he began his studies with Walter Reichardt at the Munich College of Music. In July 1963, in Siena, he met André Navarra, Maurice Gendron and Paul Tortelier. He graduated in 1964 and continued in Vienna with Tobias Kühne. In February 1965, he played the Schumann Concerto at the Vienna Konzerthaus.
From 1965 to 1968, Valentin Erben studied intensively with André Navarra at the Paris Conservatoire. He took chamber music lessons from Jean Hubeau and Joseph Calvet. In May 1968, he was awarded the ‘Premier Prix’ for cello and chamber music, then returned to Vienna. In the spring of 1969, he founded the Alban Berg Quartet, which dominated the international scene for nearly 40 years. Since June 2013, he has devoted himself to concerts, musical conferences and teaching.
