Pamina Liebert-Mahrenholz was captivated by the music and energy of the Amadeus Quartet1 – a string quartet that held a special position among her many creative endeavours.
From 1940-41, three of the quartet’s eventual members spent a lengthy wartime period together, interned by Britain as “enemy aliens” after meeting as teens in one of the Isle of Man’s internment camps (Onchan). Word of these gifted young string instrumentalists spread rapidly to other camps on the island. Pamina, who was interned in the women’s camp (Rushen), probably heard about them from her brother-in-law Harald Mahrenholz, whose fellow internees at his camp (Hutchinson) included substantial musical talent. The trio met their future cellist immediately after the war, and they created their quartet in 1947.
Pamina attended several Amadeus Quartet concerts in London from 1965 to 1971. Her paintings and sketches of the quartet probably reveal the various views she enjoyed from her seats in the concert hall. Photography may have been forbidden, but one can imagine her excitedly creating sketch after sketch in a notepad on her lap, capturing the essence of their performances.
By the time Pamina saw them in London’s Royal Festival Hall in 1965, their renown had placed them among the most distinguished of the world’s instrumental quartets. The quartet’s music resonated with her artistic senses, giving her ample reason for unwavering loyalty.
She had another link to the quartet. The composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart inspired not only the quartet’s name but also hers. Mozart’s opera “The Magic Flute” had motivated Siegfried, her viola-playing father whom she adored, to name his baby daughter after one of the opera’s central characters: Pamina. Siegfried was so enthused about the opera that he placed its sheet music in her crib – this act carried great significance for Pamina throughout her 100 years of life.
Below are two prime examples of Pamina’s progression from recognizable to almost non-representational.
Footnotes
- Norbert Brainin (violin), Siegmund Nissel (violin), Peter Schidlof (viola)
* Viennese Jewish refugees who fled Austria 1938-39 for Britain
* Met as teenage “enemy aliens” interned in the Isle of Man 1940-41
* Early release from internment as talent recognized by authorities
Martin Lovett (cello), British-born – met the others soon after the war
Originally named Brainin Quartet (mid-1947), then London Vienna Quartet (late 1947)
Finally named Amadeus Quartet (first public concert in January 1948)
Disbanded in 1987 when Schidlof died ↩︎