Christian Gruber and Peter Maklar, two dedicated and idealistic ambassadors for the classical guitar, have performed together for 30 years and represent one of the leading ensembles on the international guitar scene. Composer Dusan Bogdanovic described them as “the best that guitar chamber ensemble can offer today,” and the Süddeutsche Zeitung praised their work as “benchmark performances.” Their successful international career began when they won first prize at the International Guitar Duos Competition in Montélimar, France, in 1991.
Extensive concert tours have taken the Duo to almost every European country as well as Mexico, Chile, Martinique, Canada, the USA, Russia, Japan and South Korea. They have appeared at renowned venues such as the Manhattan School of Music in New York, the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall of the Moscow Philharmonic Society, Gendai Guitar Hall in Tokyo and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.
Many respected composers, including Dusan Bogdanovic, Enjott Schneider, Wulfin Lieske, Atanas Ourkouzounov and Paolo Devecchi, have written or dedicated works for the Duo. Eight CD releases, ranging from Baroque to contemporary repertoire, document their artistic versatility, as do their numerous published arrangements with Doberman-Yppan in Canada.
The Duo maintains artistic collaborations with Japanese singer Tomoko Nakasugi, oboist Christoph Hartmann of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, violinist Key-Thomas Märkl of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Bavarian Radio announcer Alex Dorow and the internationally renowned guitarists Tilman Hoppstock and Dimitri Illarionov. Since 2009, Duo Gruber & Maklar has appeared regularly with the Amadeus Guitar Duo.
Since 2008 they have organized the “Festival Faszination Gitarre” in Landsberg am Lech, Bavaria, a course for more than 70 participants featuring internationally known artists and workshops.
“Their technique is spectacular, their musical understanding cannot be overstated, their ensemble is outstanding and they deserve recognition as one of the finest guitar duos in the world.” (Guitar Review, USA)
