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Günter Pichler: 1940–2026

2026-06-19T09:17:00

Lead image - Günter Pichler © Fondazione Stauffer - ph. Giuseppe Milanese-4

The first violinist of the Alban Berg Quartet was also a sought-after conductor and pedagogue. Tully Potter looks back at his life and legacy

Shock spread across the international music scene on 24 April, when news came that the great quartet leader Günter Pichler had died aged 85 in a car accident near Vienna. He was both well liked and well regarded, and after the dissolution of the Alban Berg Quartet (ABQ) in 2008 he had made his mark as a conductor, and became even better known as a teacher…

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