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“Not by chance did the trio name itself after the son of the Greek Sun God Helios. Phaeton, the shining one, drove his father’s sun chariot harnessed with four fiery steeds across the sky during the day, returning at night to the sea. As demanding the name is, so fantastic is the ensemble.”                                             — Ipf-und Jagd Zeitung 

The Phaeton Piano Trio with Friedemann Eichhorn, violin, Peter Hörr, cello, and Florian Uhlig, piano — three German artists with an international career as chamber musicians and soloists — is based in Weimar, Germany. As soloists, the artists have been successfully touring the major stages throughout Europe, in Asia and North and South America for more than twenty years. Since joining forces a few years ago, they have been enjoying the treasures of the piano trio repertoire in concerts throughout Germany, in the Netherlands, France, Switzerland and South America. In the spring of 2018, in addition to their performances in, e.g., Zurich, Bonn, Munich, Berlin and Paris, the trio also embarked on a cycle of recordings with works by Mendelssohn and his contemporaries. Among the upcoming rescheduled concerts in Europe will also be appearances at the Konzerthaus Berlin and the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg. 

For the Beethoven anniversary, the trio offered a newly discovered trio fragment by Beethoven that will be published by the Henle Verlag, and to which the trio had the exclusive performance right to the end of 2020.

On its first tour to North America in February of 2020, the trio made its most successful U.S. debut at the Library of Congress, where Friedmann Eichhhorn was given the honor of playing the Kreisler Guarneri del Gesu that is in the Library’s collection. The trio also appeared to great acclaim at the Frick Collection in NYC, in Cleveland, and in San Jose. CA. Its Canadian debut in the summer of 2020 has been rescheduled for 2023. Further tours to North America are scheduled for March 2024 along with touring throughout Europe and Asia. The trio is planning to record a set of Schumann recordings in 2021/22.

Friedemann Eichhorn has performed as chamber music partner of G. Kremer, Yuri Bashmet, B. Pergamenschikov and many others. In addition to his extensive recording for Hänssler Classic and Naxos, he is Professor of violin at the Weimar Hochschule für Musik “Franz Liszt” and Artistic Director of the renowned Kronberg Academy. Recent activities include a summer of 2021 performance of Fazil Say’s violin concerto with the Orchestra di Santa Cecilia di Roma at the Spoleto Festival, followed by a premiere performance of Say’s Violin Sonata No. 2 with the composer at the Istanbul Festival. Upcoming will be debuts with the Konzerthaus Orchester Berlin and the Hong Kong Philharmonic under Eschenbach. Friedemann’s recording of Say’s violin works with the composer, the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie and Christoph Eschenbach for the Naxos label has received numerous accolades. 

Peter Hörr is a sought-after chamber music partner, notably as founding member of the Mozart Piano Quartet, an ensemble that performs worldwide and has a catalogue of recordings for the MDG label. He was awarded the ECHO Classic Prize for his recording of the Duport cello concerti and has been Artistic Director of the Hofkapelle Weimar since 2010. In 20/21, with the support of the Deutschlandfunk and the Klassik Stiftung Weimar. he released a recording of the complete works for cello and piano by Beethoven with pianist Liese Klahn. The BR Klassik noted “Peter Hoerr’s and Liese Klahn’s freshness and impulsiveness are great. It’s a joy to hear how much they follow Beethoven’s wish that instrumental music, too, should sing : each phrase breathes, speaks and has a goal”. In 2022 he will perform the Schubert symphonies and Haydn’s cello concerto in D with the orchester le phenix of Switzerland, both as soloist and conductor. Peter Hörr is Professor of cello at the Leipzig Hochschule für Musik und Theater “Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy.”

Florian Uhlig, recently appointed honorary member of the London Royal Academy of Music, made his orchestral debut at the London Barbican and has appeared at leading concert halls across the world, performing with renowned orchestras and conductors. The Hänssler Classic label has released more than 30 of his CD recordings, including the complete Schumann and Ravel piano solo works. Florian was awarded the 2021 Annual German Record Reviewers Prize, the 2022 Opus Klassik Award and the2023 City of Zwickau Schumann Prize for his set of 19 Schumann recordings. As Artist-in-Residence at the Mecklenburgische Staatskapelle Schwerin during 21/22, he will perform numerous concerts, including the Liszt piano concerto No. 2. He also is Artistic Director of the Johannesburg International Mozart Festival and Professor of piano at the Musikhochschule Luebeck.