Frans Helmerson
Principal Professor in the Kronberg Academy study programmes
Swedish cellist Frans Helmerson began his musical training with Guido Vecchi in Gothenburg before moving on to study with Giuseppe Selmi in Rome and William Pleeth in London. Sergiu Celibidache and his mentor Mstislav Rostropovich also played a very influential role in his artistic development. In 1971, he won the renowned Cassado Competition in Florence – the first of many distinctions. Tours have taken him to other countries in Europe as well as to Japan, Russia, South America, Australia, New Zealand and the USA.
Frans Helmerson plays with many well-known orchestras and receives outstanding critical acclaim for his concerts and recordings. His recording of Dvořák’s Cello Concerto with Neeme Järvi and the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra was acknowledged as the “best recording currently available on the market”. His recording of Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No 1 is also highly praised.
Frans Helmerson’s love of chamber music is another important driving force in his musical endeavours. He is a regular guest at the major European festivals, including the Verbier Festival, the Pablo Casals Festival in Prades and the Ravinia Festival, and spent many years as the artistic director of the Umea-Korsholm International Chamber Music Festival. In 2002 he co-founded the Michelangelo String Quartet which is active until today.
In addition to his career as a soloist, chamber musician and conductor, Frans Helmerson taught for several years as a professor at the conservatories in Cologne and in Madrid. From 2011 to 2016 he has been teaching as a guest professor at the Hanns Eisler School of Music in Berlin. 2016 saw him gain an additional professorship at the Barenboim-Said Akademie in Berlin. Frans Helmerson has been teaching on the Kronberg Academy Study Programmes as a principal professor since 2006. He plays a cello by Stefan-Peter Greiner.
MIHAELA MARTIN, FRANS HELMERSON & FRIENDS I
Participants
- Mihaela Martin violin
- Frans Helmerson cello
- Torleif Thedéen cello
- Karl-Heinz Steffens clarinet
- Yulianna Avdeeva piano
Programme
Georg Philipp Telemann (1681–1767)
Concerto in G major for four violins TWV 40:201
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
Piano trio No. 4 in B flat major op. 11 „Gassenhauer-Trio“
Edvard Grieg (1843–1907)
Sonata for piano and violin No. 2 in G major op. 13
Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975)
Two pieces for string octet op. 11
Concerts ends at 8:30 pm
Subject to change.
MIHAELA MARTIN, FRANS HELMERSON & FRIENDS II
Participants
- Mihaela Martin violin
- Nobuko Imai viola
- Frans Helmerson cello
- Torleif Thedéen cello
- Yulianna Avdeeva piano
- Siobhan Stagg soprano
- Cristian Măcelaru conducting
Programme
Franz Schubert (1797–1828)
Death and the Maiden D 531
Gretchen on the spinning wheel D 118
You are the peace D 776
The Trout D 550
Erlkönig D 328
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809–1847)
Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor op. 49
Intermission
Franz Schubert (1797–1828)
Death and the Maiden
(Arr. G. Mahler for chamber orchestra)
18:15–18:45
Concert introduction: Friedemann Eichhorn in conversation with Mihaela Martin and Frans Helmerson.
The concert ends at 9.30 pm
Subject to change.
MIHAELA MARTIN, FRANS HELMERSON & FRIENDS III
Participants
- Mihaela Martin violin
- Cristian Măcelaru violin
- Nobuko Imai viola
- Frans Helmerson cello
- Karl-Heinz Steffens clarinet
Programme
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)
Clarinet quintet in A major KV 581
Max Bruch (1838–1920)
Octet in B flat major op. posth.
The concert ends at 8:30 pm.
Subject to change.
Kronberg Academy on Tour - Osaka Wakita Cordia Hall
Participants
- Mihaela Martin violin
- Guido Sant’Anna violin
- Nobuko Imai viola
- Haesue Lee viola
- Minami Yoshida violin
- Frans Helmerson cello
- Arne Zeller cello
- Anna Han piano
Programme
Antonín Dvořák (1841–1904)
Piano Quintet in A major, Op. 81
Franz Schubert (1797–1828)
String Quartet in A minor, D 804 “Rosamunde”
Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975)
Piano Trio No. 1 in C minor, Op. 8
Subject to change
Kronberg Academy on Tour - Suntory Hall Japan
Participants
- Guido Sant’Anna violin
- Minami Yoshida violin
- Mihaela Martin violin
- Nobuko Imai viola
- Haesue Lee viola
- Frans Helmerson cello
- Arne Zeller cello
- Anna Han piano
Programme
Paul Schoenfield (1947–2024)
Café Music for Piano Trio
Franz Schubert (1797–1828)
String Quintet in C major, D 956
Pablo de Sarasate (1844–1908)
Navarra, Op. 33
Richard Strauss (1864–1949)
String Sextet from Capriccio, Op. 85
subject to change