The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra debut of cellist Maximilian Hornung on Friday night added another element of surprise to Strauss’ work [‘Don Quixote’]: His performance seemed to take stock of all this textured material and rise above it all, producing a breath with each statement. (…) Mr. Hornung’s clear-eyed interpretation capably sifted through Strauss’ dense musical material, his tone direct yet warm. Like an able guide navigating through an undiscovered forest, he commanded the pace of the work… (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
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Maximilian Hornung is regarded as one of the most remarkable cellists on the international stage. Alongside his exceptional technical mastery and versatility, his playing is characterised by an extraordinary depth of tone, a boundless range of colours, and a natural sophistication. The sincerity of his performances allows him to channel the purest expression of the music he plays, connecting with audiences in a profound and meaningful way. In addition to much-loved core repertoire, Hornung carries an impressive and wide-ranging repertory, and devotes himself to lesser- known cello masterpieces.
Recent orchestral highlights include the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, Bavarian Radio Symphony, Vienna Symphony, Swedish Radio Symphony, London Philharmonic, Czech Philharmonic, Bamberg Symphony, Philharmonia, Helsinki Philharmonic, WDR Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, and Orchestre National de France. In the 2024/25 season, Hornung makes his debut with the Bergen Philharmonic, Tampere Philharmonic, and Essener Philharmoniker, and is Artist-in-Residence with the Munich Symphony Orchestra as a soloist, chamber musician, and conductor for performances in and around Munich. Hornung is much in demand with many of today’s leading conductors including Daniel Harding, Yannick Nézét-Séguin, Paavo Järvi, Marie Jacquot, Esa-Pekka Salonen, David Zinman, Lorenzo Viotti, Pablo Heras-Casado, Semyon Bychkov, Manfred Honeck, Antonello Manacorda, John Storgårds, Michael Francis, Krzysztof Urbański, and Robin Ticciati.
As a recitalist, Hornung is a regular guest at world-class venues such as the Berliner Philharmonie, Vienna Musikverein, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, and London’s Wigmore Hall, as well as festivals including Salzburg, Rheingau, Lucerne, Verbier, Schleswig-Holstein, Ravinia, and Hong Kong. His chamber music partners include Anne-Sophie Mutter, Vilde Frang, Denis Kozhukhin, Julia Fischer, Antje Weithaas, Hélène Grimaud, Daniil Trifonov, Hisako Kawamura, Christian Tetzlaff, Lisa Batiashvili, François Leleux, Joshua Bell, Yefim Bronfman, and Herbert Schuch. In recent years, Hornung has also established himself as a soloist and conductor, and regularly directs projects, most recently with the Orchestra della Svizzera italiana.
Hornung’s extensive discography spans solo performances and collaborations with prominent chamber musicians. He received an ECHO Klassik Prize in both 2011 for his debut album Jump! (Sony, 2010) and again in 2012 for his recording of Dvořák’s Cello Concerto with the Bamberg Symphony under the direction of Sebastian Tewinkel (Sony, 2012). Further recordings include Richard Strauss’ major cello works with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra under Bernard Haitink (Sony, 2014) and Joseph Haydn’s cello concerti with the Kammerakademie Potsdam under Antonello Manacorda (Sony, 2015). In 2017, Deutsche Grammophon released a highly acclaimed recording of Schubert’s Trout Quintet in which Hornung performed together with Anne-Sophie Mutter and Daniil Trifonov, among others. In 2018, myrios classics released his recording of Dmitri Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 2 and Sulkhan Tsintsadze’s Cello Concerto No. 2 with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin under Andris Poga. Further recordings have been released on Genuin, Linn Records, NEOS, Bridge Records, and CPO.
Born in Augsburg in 1986, Hornung began his cello studies at the age of 8, receiving considerable training from Eldar Issakadze, Thomas Grossenbacher, and David Geringas. Until 2011, he served as cellist of the Tecchler Trio, winning First Prize at the ARD International Music Competition in 2007. At the age of only 23, he was appointed first principal cellist of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, a position that he held until 2013. Hornung has been supported and sponsored by the Borletti- Buitoni Trust in London and his mentor Anne-Sophie Mutter. Since 2022, he has been Artistic Director of the Traunsteiner Sommerkonzerte.
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