Veronika Hagen

viola

The violist Veronika Hagen studied with Helmut Zehetmair in Salzburg and with Hatto Beyerle in Vienna and Hannover and won numerous awards already during her studies, e.g. the International Viola Competition in Budapest in 1984. She is a founding member of the Hagen Quartet, with whom she has performed all over the world for over 30 years. A great number of CD recordings proves this extraordinary musical career.

Her regular collaboration with Gidon Kremer, Ivry Gitlis, Heinrich Schiff, G. Kurtag and N. Harnoncourt was an important influence as well. Since many years, Veronika Hagen also appears internationally as a soloist. 1997 her critically acclaimed solo recording of the viola sonatas by Johannes Brahms (with pianist Paul Gulda) was published, then, also at Deutsche Grammophon, Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante with Augustin Dumay and the Camerata Salzburg. Through many years of great experience she is a sought-after chamber musician in various ensembles, from string trio on to piano quartet up to septet and octet. She is also a member of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra founded by Claudio Abbado.

Veronika Hagen plays a viola by A. Stradivari from 1731, the so-called “Paganini”, which is generously loaned by the Nippon Foundation since August 2013.