Vienna Philharmonic mourns a concertmaster

We have received confirmation of the death on Monday of Werner Hink, a cherished member of the Vienna Philharmonic from 1965.

Hink, who was 81, was hugely influential at the Pacific Music Festival Sapporo, where he taught from 1991 to 2010.

UPDATE: From the Vienna Philharmonic:
Werner Hink, born on March 18, 1943 in Vienna, received his first violin lessons at the Vienna Conservatory with Luise Bilek and continued his studies with Franz Samohyl at the then Music Academy in 1962. In 1962 he passed the diploma examination for concert violin with distinction, on January 1, 1964 he was engaged as first violinist in the Vienna State Opera Orchestra and was accepted into the Vienna Philharmonic on November 1, 1965.

After successful auditions, he was promoted to section leader of the first violin group in 1967 and became concertmaster of the Vienna Philharmonic in 1974.

In addition to his work in the orchestra, Werner Hink, who in addition to his professional title of professor was awarded the Cross of Honour for Science and Art as well as the Grand Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria, devoted himself extremely successfully to chamber music.

With the “Vienna String Quartet”, which he founded in 1964, he performed all over the world, recorded numerous recordings and made a name for himself as an outstanding representative of the Viennese style of music.

He also enjoyed great international success with the “Vienna Octet” under his leadership and devoted himself to the piano trio with Jasminka Stančul and Fritz Dolezal. Werner Hink was a member of the Vienna Court Orchestra from 1974 and headed a violin class at the Vienna Conservatory from 1982.

“We will always remember our colleague Werner Hink with love. He was an outstanding musician and a very dear friend. Our thoughts are with his family.”