Nicolas Altstaedt in an interview

"Honesty is crucial in the interpretation of Bach's suites."

The German cellist Nicolas Altstaedt was one of Boris Pergamenschikow's last students in Berlin, where he completed his studies with Eberhard Feltz. He launched his career with numerous first prizes at international competitions. In 2011, at the suggestion of Gidon Kremer, he was appointed artistic director of the Lockenhaus Chamber Music Festival. A versatile musician, he is involved in everything from historical performance practice and the classical cello repertoire to commissioning new works.

Classicpoint.ch: You took over the artistic direction of the Lockenhaus Chamber Music Festival from Gidon Kremer three years ago. What is so special about this festival?
Since the festival's inception, we in Lockenhaus have always maintained the freedom to announce concert programs only on the day of the concert. Throughout the year, I develop a theme with various programs, each exploring the subject from a different perspective. However, the festival itself provides an opportunity for further, more in-depth discussions.
I find it crucial to reaffirm why we are here and to engage with the theme.
This is particularly possible in the secluded setting of Lockenhaus, on the castle terrace overlooking the woods, or in the castle garden behind the church. These discussions generate entirely new creative ideas, the programs are rethought, and sometimes even relate to current world events. A renewed sense of identification with what we do emerges.

Gidon Kremer himself suggested you as his successor. What connects you to him?
Gidon has always been a role model for me, an outstanding musician who forges his own path and an artist of integrity who has opened new doors in all his interpretations while always serving the scores. His openness and unpretentious nature have always deeply fascinated me. We were certainly also connected by my teacher, Boris Pergamenschikow.

They're also performing at the festival themselves. Isn't that very tiring on top of all the organizational work?
Certainly, but also very fulfilling. All the thoughts that swirl around so many things during the day are carried away by the music in the concert. And in rehearsals, I get just as much energy back from the inspiration of the music and my friends as I give.

The chamber music festival doesn't pay fees. Are there also artists who don't come because of this, even if they give other reasons as an excuse?
I don't know… I only invite artists with whom I feel a connection and whose music appeals to me. We've never discussed fees.

You are also deeply involved with contemporary music. When is contemporary music good for you?
I don't really delve deeply into contemporary music. I try to engage deeply with good music, and that sometimes includes contemporary music. There has always been superficial as well as substantial music; that hasn't changed. A work by Ligeti, Heinz Holliger's "Romancendres," or Jörg Widmann can engage me just as much as a late Beethoven sonata.

Several new compositions have been dedicated to you. Which do you particularly like and why?
I very much enjoy playing Fazil Say's Cello Sonata because it's always inspiring to make music with the composer or the composer himself. I also love the wonderful Duo for Violin and Cello by Thomas Larcher.
I'm especially looking forward to the Cello Concerto that my friend and cellist Raphael Merlin from the Quatuor Ébène is composing for next year. I have immense respect for him as a musician. We share a long-standing friendship and have performed together extensively. This adds another dimension to the work. To write for someone and then perform it is one of the most intimate and beautiful things imaginable.

Have you ever composed any pieces yourself?
When I was seven years old, I set my favorite book, Homer's Odyssey, to music as a suite for solo cello. It consisted largely of Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No. 1... To this day, I've stuck to cadenzas for classical concertos, but I'm keeping many options open.

Do you understand the people, including many musicians, who can't make heads or tails of new music?
No, because I don't understand the difference between "new" and "old".

You lived with the cellist
Julian Steckel . Can you tell us a funny anecdote from that time? We moved into a house that was undergoing extensive renovations. Our apartment was the first to be occupied. The house was empty; we had no neighbors. For six months, our daily and nightly routines were completely turned upside down. At the time, we were both studying with Boris Pergamenschikow, who died four months after we moved in. We used to travel from our apartment to the hospital for his lessons. It was a very intense time.

You're performing two solo suites at the Bach Festival in Thun. What's crucial for you in interpreting Bach's solo suites?
Honesty. You have to give the works the space they need so that the whole cosmos within them can unfold. It has a lot to do with perception, "listening through" and "letting it happen." But it's also dance music and doesn't tolerate any added sentimentality.

Interview by Florian Schär | Classicpoint.ch | August 3, 2015 |
Photo by Marco Borggreve

Next concerts

05/14/2026 - Nicolas Altstaedt “Scordatura”
05/14/2026 - Nicolas Altstaedt & Barnabás Kelemen “In the Dialogue of the Strings”