German cellist Norbert Anger has established himself as one of the leading and most versatile instrumentalists of his generation. His interpretations are defined by a depth of musical expression and he impresses with his “virtuosity, powerful technique, flawless precision and rich cello tone” (Michael Gmasz, Radio Klassik).
Born in 1987 in Freital, near Dresden, Norbert received his first musical training at the Saxon State Grammar School for Music Carl Maria von Weber before completing his music education under the guidance of Professor Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt at Berlin University of the Arts. He also gained valuable musical inspiration from Sir Colin Davis, David Geringas and Heinrich Schiff.
Even in his early years, Norbert attracted a great deal of attention as a soloist. He won prizes at almost every major international competition, including the German Music Competition in Bonn, the Rostropovich Cello Competition and Vibrarte Competition in Paris, the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, the Domenico Gabrielli Cello Competition in Berlin, and the International Paulo Cello Competition in Helsinki.
In the years that followed, Norbert worked as a soloist with the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden, the Orchestre de Paris, the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, the Mariinsky Orchestra and the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra, under conductors such as Christian Thielemann, Valeri Gergiev, Vladimir Spivakov, Ton Koopman, Andrea Marcon, John Stôrgards and Emmanuelle Haim.
Norbert also possesses a great enthusiasm for chamber music. In addition to his activities as a founding member of the Dresden Arabella Quartet and the Dresden Octet, he has performed as a guest at chamber music festivals around the world, with artists such as Christoph Eschenbach, Daniil Trifonov, Denis Matsuev, Sol Gabetta, David Geringas and Jan Vogler.
His CD recordings include cello concertos by Haydn and Mozart as well as a popular repertoire of sonatas by Brahms, Strauss and Debussy. Norbert’s latest album “Strauss/Wagner” (OehmsClassics, 2019) features his own arrangements of Richard Wagner’s works and has received much attention and earned him great critical acclaim.
Since 2013, Norbert has held the prestigious position of first concertmaster of the cellos in the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden. Since 2015, he has also been the principal cellist in the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra.
Norbert is a professor for cello at the Saxon State Grammar School for Music and at the Dresden College of Music Carl Maria von Weber, both in Dresden. As of September 2020, he will also take on a teaching position at the Escuela Superior de Musica in Madrid.
Norbert Anger plays a cello made by Alessandro Gagliano (Naples, 1720), and performs exclusively with strings by Larsen strings A/S.
