HAUS MARTEAU
District of Upper Franconia's International Music Retreat
Haus Marteau was built in 1912/13 by the then world-famous violin virtuoso Henri Marteau and his second wife Blanche (1887-1977). The plans were drawn up by the Swiss architect Hans Schwab (1875-1950).
Originally intended as a summer residence, the house became the Marteau family’s main home after the First World War. During this time, the rooms in the basement were used for storage and economic purposes. The ground floor was dominated by the prestigiously designed reception and private rooms, furnished with French fabric wallpaper, numerous paintings and valuable porcelain. On the upper floor were children’s rooms, guest rooms, a playroom and the so-called “master room” as Henri Marteau’s workroom.
Henri Marteau had been giving violin lessons to his most talented pupils there since 1913 – partly privately, partly in so-called “summer academies”. His students came from Europe and the USA and stayed with Lichtenberg families during this time. The public final concerts of the “summer academies” in the Lichtenberg gymnasium were also a thank-you for the hospitality of the Lichtenbergers.
Henri Marteau died in 1934; the house remained in family ownership. After the death of his wife Blanche in 1977, Marteau’s eldest daughter and his grandson, Raymonde Linsmayer-Marteau (1910-2012) and Peter Linsmayer (1935-2005), endeavoured to continue the musical use of the villa.
The subterranean concert hall of Haus Marteau forms a spectacular backdrop for the final concerts of the master classes of the International Music Centre.
Up to 13-metre-long, interlocking granite peaks on the ceiling and walls fan out the space and impress visitors with an imposing play of light and shadow, in short: they create a fabulous spatial effect.
Architect Peter Haimerl laid out the concert hall almost entirely underground in the southern part of the park so as not to weaken either the park or the villa. Haimerl’s concept for the teaching and concert hall is also oriented towards the area’s past as a mining site.
In the four rows of seats on either side of the 66 m2 stage, the audience is spatially and sonically very close to the musical action. The teaching and concert hall, located at the side below the artists’ villa, is 13×13 metres in size, barrier-free accessible and offers space for up to 100 guests
Artistic Director of Haus Marteau: Prof. Christoph Adt
The artistic work of the International Music Retreat “Haus Marteau” still bears the hallmark of its namesake Henri Marteau (1874-1934). In his first year in Lichtenberg, he invited the most talented of his students to courses in the villa built as a summer residence for himself and his family. Prof. Dr. Günther Weiß (1933-2007), creative mind and long-standing artistic director (1982-2007) of Haus Marteau, took up this concept of promoting highly talented young musicians and expanded the range of courses to include all classical instruments and singing. Prof. Weiß also took on the compositional heritage and extraordinary life story of Marteau, initiated the first sound recordings and wrote a biography. In 1984, he founded the Upper Franconian Youth Symphony Orchestra for the region's young musicians.
In the fall of 2007, the world-famous percussionist Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Peter Sadlo took over the artistic direction of Haus Marteau. Having been engaged by Prof. Dr. Günther Weiß for the first time in 1989 as a lecturer in percussion and having gained experience from 10 of his own masterclasses at Haus Marteau, he was able to seamlessly continue and further develop the work of his predecessor. With the “Haus Marteau on Tour” concert series, founded by Peter Sadlo in 2010, the master class participants now inspire music lovers throughout Upper Franconia with the art they have refined in Lichtenberg. The compositional legacy of Marteau will be documented in the coming years in the form of a discography under the solo musica label. Finally, Peter Sadlo continued to work on the basic artistic concept for the structural expansion of Haus Marteau until his sudden death on July 29, 2016, which not least takes into account the steadily growing interest in the master classes and the International Violin Competition Henri Marteau.
Since the beginning of 2017, the artistic responsibility has been in the hands of Christoph Adt, like his predecessors a professor at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich.
