Germany, France
The musical connection between the German cellist Anja Lechner and the French pianist François Couturier was created when they played in the Tarkovsky Quartet. Their music crosses boundaries, with arrangements of works by G. I. Gurdjieff, Federico Mompou, and Anouar Brahem, as well as works by Couturier himself.
Over a long and fruitful career, Lechner has appeared with orchestras such as the Amsterdam Sinfonietta and with artists such as Alexei Ljubimov, Silke Avenhaus, and Agnès Westermann. For eighteen years she was the cellist of the Rosamunde Quartett, which appeared all over the world and released albums that have won high praise.
Couturier, who began playing the piano at age six, composes works inspired by such artists as Paul Bley and Chick Corea. He came to worldwide attention when he was awarded the Prix Django Reinhardt in 1980, and joined the John McLaughlin Quartet in Britain shortly afterward. He has played since 2001 in a trio with Anouar Brahem, with accordionist Jean-Louis Matinier. Couturier released a solo album of piano works, “Un jour si blanc,” in 2010.
Together, Lechner and Couturier take the listener from dark musical moments to moments of complete joy.