The JMD mourns the passing of Günter Pichler, who died on 24 April 2026 at the age of 85 in a car accident. As a member of the Alban Berg Quartet, which he led for over 40 years, Günter was a frequent guest at the JMD’s “International Chamber Music Campus” at Weikersheim Castle. The young musicians regarded this grand master of quartet playing with curiosity and respect. He was relentless in his pursuit of excellence: his primary concern was to extract the musical imagination from the scores, and he insisted uncompromisingly on technical perfection in order to bring the music behind the notes to life. It was also fascinating for the audience to observe this. His authority was rooted in his deep love of music, his profoundly mature understanding of it, an inexhaustible store of knowledge and skill – and a subtle pedagogical approach that could sometimes cause tears, but always resonated with the goodwill of passing on an invaluable cultural and, at the same time, humanitarian legacy. He wanted to give us this gift again this summer. We and our course participants no longer have this source. Günter Pichler’s legacy lives on in his students.
