Born in Austria, in 1940. He began his studies at the Academy of Music in Vienna in 1955. He was appointed Concertmaster of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra when he was 18, and at the age of 21, Herbert von Karajan choose him as Concertmaster of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1969 he was awarded the "Mozart Interpretation Prize".

Since 1963 he has been Professor at the University of Music and Performing arts in Vienna and Guest Professor in Cologne since 1993. In 2007 he was appointed Head of the String Department of the International Institute of Chamber Music of Madrid. He is also giving Master Classes at several prestigious summer academies.

Many of his students have won international awards, play as concert masters in major orchestras, are teachers in Colleges and Universties and develop international careers as soloists and chamber musicians. Among his students are the most important and successful groups of European chamber music, like the Artemis, Belcea, Casals, Meccore, Fauré, Aris, Eliot, Voce, Van Kuijk, Goldmund, Tchalik, Calidore, Notos, Amaryllis, Barbican, Leonkoro quartets, etc.

In 1970 he created the Alban Berg Quartet, one of the worldwide leading String Quartets which played in all the important concert halls worldwide like in Vienna Konzerthaus and Musikverein, La Scala di Milano, Théâtre des Champs Elysées Paris, Royal Festival Hall London, Theater Colon in Buenos Aires, Suntory Hall Tokyo, Berlin Philharmonic Hall etc. The recordings of the quartet won more than 30 international prizes and were praised by composers like Berio, Schnittke, Lutoslawski, and Boulez, etc. The Quartet is Honorary Member of the Vienna Konzerthaus and Royal Festival Hall London.