ViennaClarinet Connection

Vienna Clarinet Connection was founded in Vienna in 1995 and has developed a distinctive musical voice ever since. Helmut Hödl, Rupert Fankhauser, Hubert Salmhofer and Wolfgang Kornberger bring together two clarinets, basset horn and bass clarinet, combining chamber-music precision with groove, wit and an unmistakable joy of performing.

A substantial part of the ensemble’s repertoire consists of original compositions and arrangements. The result is music that speaks directly to the audience while retaining the individual character of the four musicians.

In “Milestones”, Vienna Clarinet Connection presents works by Gershwin, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Schumann, Lehár, Kreisler and other influential composers in the ensemble’s own versions. The character of the originals remains recognisable, while the arrangements introduce new colours, rhythmic drive and unexpected musical turns.

The four musicians guide the audience through the evening themselves, sharing stories about the music, their instruments and more than three decades of performing together. At selected moments, the performance moves beyond the stage and into the hall, bringing the audience directly into the musical experience.

“Milestones” presents Vienna Clarinet Connection as it performs today: precise, energetic, humorous and driven by the genuine joy of four established musicians playing together.

Vienna Clarinet Connection has long been recognised as one of the leading ensembles in the field of clarinet quartet performance. The ensemble has appeared at venues including the Vienna Musikverein, Wiener Konzerthaus and Brucknerhaus Linz, as well as at the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, Rheingau Music Festival and the opening celebrations of the Salzburg Festival. For its thirtieth anniversary the quartet performed with Wolf Bachofner at the Vienna Musikverein in April 2025.

Artistic collaborations have included projects with Karl Markovics, Martina Gedeck, Robert Meyer, Sandra Pires, Simone Kopmajer and Matthias Schorn. The ensemble has also performed as a solo formation with orchestras including the Stuttgart Philharmonic, Württemberg Philharmonic, Vienna Chamber Orchestra and Vorarlberg Symphony Orchestra. On CD the ensemble can be heard on “Lieben Sie Wien…?” (Preiser, 2022), “Clarinets à la King” and Alexander Kukelka’s “Czernowitzer Skizzen” (Gramola), among others.