Flute solo
Ulrich Roloff performs his solo concerts always by heart. He has also played as a soloist with several orchestras. So for example an appearance in Swedlogorsk and Kaliningrad (Russia) in October 2004, where he performed both the Mozart flute concertos with the National Symphony Orchestra Kaliningrad, conducted by chief conductor Arkadij Feldmann. Some of his solo programms have been issued on CD.
Duo Roloff / You
Performing with pianists has been a particular focal point of the concert activities of Ulrich Roloff, commencing with numerous concerts in the Berlin Philharmonic Hall—enthusiastically acclaimed by both the public and the press—as well as by his frequent participation in various music festivals (including the Salzgitter Musiktage, series Wartburgkonzerte of DeutschlandRadio, series of the Potsdamer Hofkonzerte at the Neues Palais in Potsdam, and a concert for the president of Germany at the Schloss Bellevue in Berlin). Now in performances with the pianist Ji-Yeoun You, they share the belief that when playing together, the musical interpretation is of primary importance, accounting for the extraordinary atmosphere and special intensity of their concerts. In contrast to the prevalent and conventional practice of playing duets wherein a melody instrument is merely accompanied by a polyphonic instrument, we find here an absolute equality of both instruments (which is incidentally also a reflection of the repertoire selection). As a result, the duo is not tied down to particular musical periods, allowing for an extremely varied and contrasting program.
Duo Inventio
With the Duo Inventio that they formed in 1999, Ulrich Roloff and Johannes Mirow (acting solo cellist of the German Opera Orchestra Berlin) are freeing their instruments from the roles they play in the Baroque trio sonata (along with harpsichord and continuo) and allowing instead a genuine two-part dialogue for both instruments. The repertoire they present on their concert tours throughout Germany spans the entire period from the early Baroque to the Comtemporary. Besides original works Roloff and Mirow also present their own arrangements and their own compositions.So for example the inventions of Johann Sebastian Bach with additioned inventions of Ulrich Roloff in the missing keys - as published on CD under the title "Der zweistimmige Bach".
Duo Élysée
The Duo Élysée melds the flute and the harp (Magdalena Zimmerer) into an enchanting tonal combination. Whether original works or transcriptions, the duo's repertoire spans the arc from the Baroque to the Modern, and carries the listener on a musical journey across the entire continent. The 2009 CD “Reisen in Fantasie und Gegenwart” contains two international debut recordings, one especially written for the Duo Élysée.
Duo Orphée
Founded in 1999, Duo Orphee for flute and guitar has made successful tours throughout Germany and Switzerland. Their performances with the guitarist Felix Justen focussed mainly on the works of J.S. Bach (for example, their Bach concert with Leipzig's Thoman Choir in DeutschlandRadio's Wartburg Concert Series), but Duo Orphee also presents a broad diversity of styles in its repertoire. A CD issued in 2000 offers music exclusively from the 20th century (works by Ravi Shankar, Astor Piazzolla and Mario Castelnuovo Tedesco).
Roloff-Quartet
In 1997 Ulrich Roloff founded together with Clarissa Forster-Mommert (violin), Katharina Becker (viola) and Reinhild Cleff (violoncello) the Roloff-Quartet. They started 2006 with very successful concerts for the Mozart-jubilee playing Mozarts flute-quartets and issuing a live recording of these works. The repertoire of the quartet includes also extravagant arrangements, such as the string-quartets of Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga, wherefrom they issued another CD, or "The seven last words of our saviour on the cross" by Joseph Haydn.
top | print | deutsch | Credits