Julia Fischer

“Zinman takes full advantage of Dvorák’s command and exploitation of orchestral texture and instrumental colour...Ubiquitous the [Bruch] concerto might be, but here Fischer asserts all the freshness and intensity that are hallmarks of her stylish playing...The finale’s rhythmic drive and rapture cap a performance, and a disc, of striking presence and allure.” The Telegraph, 15th March 2013 ****

“a spirited, buoyant performance [of the Dvorak] that for much of the work's duration wears an irresistable smile.” Gramophone Magazine, June 2013

“Characteristic Schubert, played with penetrating subtlety by the two young Germans Fischer and Helmchen...The CD ends with the D940 Fantasia for piano duet, with Fischer partnering in a powerful performance: one moment fiery, the next caressing. And all such heavenly music.” The Times, 22nd May 2010 ****

“They give a magnificent account of this inspired work [the F major Fantasy]...It's a challenging piece...yet Fischer and Helmchen present as fine as any account on disc...They are a marvellous team, evidently giving each other ideas as they go along.” BBC Music Magazine, August 2010 *****

“Helmchen is adept at pinpointing the crucial harmonies… and his touch is unusually sensitive… Fischer similarly manages to combine restraint with warm expression, and the occasional moments where she plays with more abandon - as in her dramatic first entry in D385 and the ebullient Minute of D403 - stand out the more effectively.” Gramophone Magazine, December 2009

“These three sonatas are all lightweight, but when played with such sweet tone as Julia Fischer brings to them, and such sensitive and responsive pianism as the remarkable young pianist Martin Helmchen commands, the results are delightful.” BBC Music Magazine, December 2009

“…her playing is beautifully honed, technically without flaw.” Gramophone Magazine, February 2009

“I think there is a place for performances as beautifully conceived and played as these, even if the sound is romanticised and approached from the perspective of later music. Fischer’s pristine tone and sizzling technique are well partnered by Alexander Sitkovetsky in the Double Violin Concerto and by Andrey Rubtsov in a reconstructed work for violin, oboe and strings. Fischer is for those who like their Bach seamless and consoling, rather than challenging.” Sunday Times, 8th February 2009 ****

“Fischer strikes my ears as being an intuitive Bachian. Her phrasing is elegant and she has an unerring feeling for Bach's broad architectural melodic contours. These are lyrical performances, gently articulated, and wonderfully free from celebrity-style ego.” BBC Music Magazine, April 2009 *****

“Listen to the start of the great Sinfonia Concertante, here replete with an energy which doesn't preclude sensitivity of phrasing or detail of instrumental colour. …Fischer and Nikolic emerge from the opening tutti with a sense of wonder, marking this is one of Mozart's most deeply felt inspirations. ...their interplay in the Adagio is a profound delight.” BBC Music Magazine, January 2008 *****

“In the Sinfonia – one of Mozart’s first masterpieces, written in 1779, on the threshold of his entrance into the pantheon of genius – soloists, orchestra and conductor emphasise the majestic, symphonic dimensions of the opening movement, and they duet rapturously like operatic lovers in the sublime Andante. If you have the solo concerto discs, you won’t want to miss this” Sunday Times, November 2007

“The partnership of Julia Fischer and Yakov Kreizberg… really comes into its own in the symphonic proportions of Brahms's Violin Concerto. From Fischer's opening imposing entry, it's clear that Kreizberg and the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra are at one with her every nuance and tempo fluctuation - dramatic, fiery and impetuous at first but then beautifully lyrical and introverted in the second idea. ...the Double Concerto... Fischer and her partner Daniel Müller-Schott are absolutely on the same musical wavelength delivering a blisteringly intense performance supported by outstandingly responsive playing from the Netherlands Philharmonic.” BBC Music Magazine, Proms 2007 *****

“…Julia Fischer offers this ideal Brahms coupling in strong and sympathetic readings, joined in the Double Concerto by her brilliant young compatriot cellist, Daniel Müller-Schott. Her performance never feels self-conscious or too studied and her range of tone and dynamic is extreme, bringing pianissimi of breathtaking delicacy. ...in the finale she lets the tempo relax just enough to allow a persuasive spring in the rhythms, bringing out the Hungarian dance flavour.” Gramophone Magazine, August 2007

“..the Double Concerto one of the most beautiful and idiomatic readings on disc in recent years.” Sunday Times ****

“
Others offer tauter and brisker accounts of the first movement but Fischer amply justifies her spacious and flexible speeds in the feeling of spontaneity. Her performance never feels selfconscious or too studied and her range of tone and dynamic is extreme, bringing pianissimi of breathtaking delicacy. Fischer's slow movement, too, is expansive while in the finale she lets the tempo relax just enough to allow a persuasive spring in the rhythms, bringing out the Hungarian dance flavour.
The Double Concerto is not nearly as expansive: no doubt the influence of Müller-Schott was important here as the cello takes the lead in introducing each theme, with the cellist matching his partner in warmth and brilliance. Fischer and Müller-Schott are relaxed and easily lyrical in the slow movement, brilliant and thrusting in the finale. An outstanding disc which stands high on the list of this perfect coupling.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“Fischer always knows when to lighten the mood, or how best to judge the tension and release of a musical paragraph, and in this she is supported to the hilt by a personable but never too overbearing Russian National Orchestra under the baton of Yakov Kreizberg... In the Concerto's vivacious finale and the headlong Valse-Scherzo, Fischer makes light of the technical difficulties with spot-on pitching throughout; there isn't an aspect of any of these works in which this world-class virtuoso fails to excel.” BBC Music Magazine, March 2007 *****

“Julia Fischer brings fearsome concentration to a concerto that is so often an excuse for selfindulgence. She brings absolute control of colour and tone. Fischer realizes that you don’t have to wallow in romanticism for the piece to work its magic. Kreizberg and the fabulous Russian National Orchestra provide superb support.” Gramophone Magazine

“…Kreizberg’s accompaniments are pacey, spry and debonair. They’re well matched by the playing of his soloist, which is nigh-on technically unimpeachable…she’s a musician who seeks out the character and spirit of each theme and even each phrase.” George Hall (BBC Music Magazine – Benchmark recording 5 stars)

“…The three superb musicians on this new recording, all in their twenties, face the hefty competition easily by playing with an irresistible spontaneity. They approach these works as interior high dramas; contested between melancholy and ecstasy…they play with an unassailable precision.” Alan Kozinn, The New York Times

“It's good to hear these great works played with full ardour by such a talented group of young musicians.” BBC Music Magazine, October 2006 ****

“Chamber music with star players doesn't always work: lack of rehearsal time or oversized egos can often lead to performances high on surface glitz but low on understanding. Not here though: these young artists, already making waves in their individual careers, give us a recording of Mendelssohn's delectable piano trios that sparkles and fizzes from the outset.
The opening of the D minor Trio No 1 is a touch simpler than the Florestan's recent acclaimed reading but its urgency sweeps you along. They are particularly fine in the scherzi of both trios, with delightful portamenti in the D minor which seem to say 'look how easy this is'. In the finale, the new trio set off at a dancing pace; the Florestan are a touch steadier, which makes for an even more explosive contrast as the movement hots up.
The C minor Trio has long lived in the shadow of the D minor. It's darker, slower to reveal its secrets. The new version fully captures its ruggedness, the way that melodies are hewn from the musical material, rather than simply emerging complete as in No 1. The only real quibble is their spacious tempo for the second movement, a Venetian gondola song in all but name. It's played with great tenderness but does seem rather over-extended.
All in all, this new recording is irresistible, with the three players caught in a wholly natural ambience. It's always a good sign when you don't want to stop playing a disc long enough to write about it.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“…these young artists, already making waves in their individual careers, give us a recording of Mendelssohn's delectable piano trios that sparkles and fizzes from the outset. They are particularly fine in the scherzi of both trios, with delightful portamenti in the D minor which seem to say "look how easy this is".” Gramophone Magazine, October 2006