Julia Fischer INTIMATE

INTIMATE

Julia Fischer / Martin Helmchen FRANZ SCHUBERT Complete Works for Violin and Piano - Volume 2

Schubert concluded his personal violin sonata ‘chapter’ early on, as his last work in this genre dates from 1817: the Sonatafor Violin and Piano in A major, D. 574 (Op. posth. 162, Grand Duo). Perhaps he put aside any further plans for violin sonatas he might have had due to a number of significantexperiences he underwent in 1817. Although Schubert is often portrayed by the lay world as never being successful with his compositions during his lifetime, this is not entirely the case. Thus his cantata Prometheus – penned the previous year – had created quite a sensation in Vienna. Otherwise Schubert would hardly have considered giving up his recently (1816) acquired teaching position in favour of creative free-lancing. However, music historians are right about the negative representation of the reception given to Schubert’s works, as indeed, according to traditional tales, fortune did not smile upon him: of all things, this successful work – the Prometheus Cantata – was lost to the world and has not yet been rediscovered to this day. (Pentatone)

Julia Fischer / Martin Helmchen FRANZ SCHUBERT Complete Works for Violin and Piano - Volume 1

The great similarity between the first movement (Allegro molto) of Franz Schubert’s Sonata for Violin and Piano in D major, D. 384 (Op. posth. 137, No. 1, dating from 1816) and the first movement of the Sonata for Piano and Violin in E minor, K. 304 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart must have already been emphasised hundreds of times. The analogies are more than simply astonishing, they are essential – and at the same time, existential. Deliberately so: because at the age of 19, Schubert had well outgrown the need to “crib”. Nevertheless, Schubert imitated his example in every aspect of this Mozart-like movement, including the transitions, secondary motifs and even in the manner he dealt with the rests. And yet he achieved more than simply a “copy”. Schubert’s Allegro molto is a reflection, a kind of “question set to music”: where do I want to go? And the answer must be: I got there a long time since! Because all the later characteristics that gradually emerged to define his personality as a composer (i.e. abrupt stops, harmonic surprises, the ecstasy of the moment vs. the dashing of hope) are already present here and are leading him, as it were, “through Mozart up to himself”. (Pentatone)

Nils Mönkemeyer / Julia Fischer / Sabine Meyer / William Youn MOZART WITH FRIENDS

Artistic brilliance and innovative programming are the trademarks with which Nils Mönkemeyer has rapidly made his name as one of the 'most internationally successful violists' (Harald Eggebrecht, Süddeutsche Zeitung), and dramatically raised the profile of his instrument.

Under his exclusive contract with Sony Classical, Mönkemeyer has released numerous CDs over the past years, all of which have won critical acclaim and prestigious awards. His programmes run the gamut from rediscoveries and first recordings of original 18th century viola literature, to contemporary repertoire and arrangements of his own.

Mönkemeyer has been a professor at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Munich since 2011 - the same institution at which he himself studied with Hariolf Schlichtig. Previous tenures include a two-year professorship at the Carl Maria von Weber University of Music in Dresden, and an assistant professorship at the Reina Sofia College of Music in Madrid.

Nils Mönkemeyer works together with conductors such as Mario Venzago, Markus Stenz, Sylvain Cambreling, Mark Minkowski, Michail Jurowski, Christopher Hogwood, Michael Sanderling, Karl-Heinz Steffens and Simone Young, performing internationally in London's Wigmore Hall, Vienna's Musikverein, Brussel's Bozar, Berlin and Cologne Philharmonie, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Hamburg Laeiszhalle, Frankfurt Alte Oper, and in concert halls in Munich, Dresden, Baden-Baden, Dusseldorf, Stuttgart, Bremen, not to mention countless festival venues. He is currently a '360º artist' at the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival and artist in residence of both the Echternach International Festival and the Heidelberg Philharmonic Orchestra.

In the 2015/2016 season Mönkemeyer will perform with the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra, the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, the Musiciens du Louvre, the MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra, the NDR Radiophilharmonie in Hannover, the Weimar Staatskapelle, the Hamburg Philharmonic, the Dusseldorf Symphony Orchestra and the Berlin Barocksolisten.
His various chamber ensembles, such as his trio with Sabine Meyer and William Youn, the Julia Fischer Quartet, his duo with William Youn and his Barroco Español project, are guests at numerous festivals this season: Menuhin Festival Gstaad, Mozartwoche Salzburg, Schubertiade Hohenems, Heidelberger Frühling, Kissinger Sommer, Musikfest Stuttgart, Audi Sommerkonzerte, Schleswig Holstein Musikfestival, and the Festspiele Mecklenburg Vorpommern, Further chamber concerts will take him to Taiwan, Korea and Benelux, and to concert halls such as the Bremen Glocke, Dusseldorf Tonhalle, Gothenburg Konserthuset, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Zurich Tonhalle and Berlin Philharmonie.

Julia Fischer & Martin Helmchen FRANZ SCHUBERT Complete Works for Violin and Piano

In this recording, Julia Fischer and Martin Helmchen skilfully reveal what can be achieved when Schubert's violin and piano duos are given the right treatment: a wonderful piece of music, expertly performed. The release uniquely features Fischer as a pianist in Fantasia for Piano Duet D. 940. She had previously performed as a pianist in concert, but this was her recording debut.

We asked them a few questions about their successful collaboration and their connection to Schubert.

What was it like to work together?

Martin: It is always both an enormous privilege and great fun to work with Julia, and I think most of our colleagues (and even conductors) would agree that you've learned a lot after every concert or rehearsal with her. And of course, a long-term collaboration like ours is something very valuable, because you get to grow together.

Julia: Martin and I met a very long time ago and we have played and enjoyed numerous projects together. What I admire most about Martin is his modesty and pure passion. If you want to repeat something 100 times, he will still agree to do it and probably ask for the 101st time. On tour that quality brings the real enjoyment to a partnership, you never get into routine, but you always keep looking for other options, other solutions for musical problems. The same way of working applies to recording together. We are still on a journey: the cd is not the final result. It only shows where we were in that moment in our interpretation of Schubert.

What was it like for both of you to have Julia also playing the piano for this recording?

Martin: Absolutely natural! I don't understand how it's possible to play a second instrument at such a high level… I personally have got a lot of troubles with one already!

Julia: Annoying for Martin I guess!! But I am grateful for the opportunity, he taught me fingerings and gave me technical tips.

What does it mean to you to play Schubert's sonatas?

Martin: Schubert is one of the composers I personally feel the closest to. The pieces for violin and piano are not amongst his better known works, and that is another thing that is a particular joy for me - exploring and presenting the lesser known masterworks.

Julia: Somebody said "Schubert in his last pieces touched the border between human and God. Afraid that the composer might cross, God finished Schubert'slife". That's how I feel when entering the C major Fantasy.

Is there anything you wish you had done differently in the recording?

Martin: I must admit I tend to forget the "crimes of the past" quite quickly. A recording is always a momentary document, so I don't think about that topic too much.

Julia: Yes. But it's not in any way frustrating. Simply put, I continuously think about the pieces and I naturally play them a little differently every time. (PENTATONE, Monday 15 September 2014)

Julia Fischer / Milana Chernyavska SARASATE

These dazzling works . . . make great showstoppers and encores, but what's surprising is how satisfying they turn out to be in their own right. Beginning with a couple of Spanish dances, it's apparent from the get-go how effortlessly the 30-year-old masters the technical challenges of works designed to leave jaws on floor. She sounds like she's having fun, and why wouldn't she, especially in "Zigeunerweisen", whose czárdás rhythm allows Fischer and accompanist Milana Chernyavska to demonstrate how convincingly a German and a Ukrainian can perform Spanish music inspired by Hungarian gypsies . . . What a terrific, entertaining disc.

Record Review / Martin Buzacott, Limelight Magazine (Australia) / 19. February 2013

The dazzling showpieces of violin legend Pablo Sarasate meet their match in Julia Fischer, one of the most sought-after musicians of her generation, delivering virtuoso pyrotechnics in a stunning recital disc.
The key track is Sarasate’s most celebrated composition: Zigeunerweisen (‘Gypsy Airs’). With its heady czardas rhythms and folk flavour, it is best known as a showpiece for violin and orchestra, but Fischer and her long-standing accompanist Milana Chernyavska present it here as it was originally written, for violin and piano.
Fischer’s programme also includes the popular Danzas espanolas. Designed to show off technique, these captivating pieces soon became a top choice for violin encores.
Fischer’s recording will help shine a new light on Sarasate’s music, which she wants to restore to the concert platform. She feels that each of the pieces is a little gem with a mood and story all its own, and says that she wants to communicate the joy and enthusiasm of pieces that make people want to dance or sing.
Sarasate’s contemporaries held him in extremely high regard, with Camille Saint-Saens, Max Bruch and Edouard Lalo all dedicating works to him. He was one of the first violinists to leave acoustic recordings in the pioneering years of the 20th century, recording his Zigeunerweisen in 1904, and his extraordinary writing remains a supreme challenge to violinists over a century after his death in 1908.

Julia Fischer BRUCH & DVORAK Violin Concertos

 Julia Fischer has chosen a rare and inspired coupling, the Bruch G minor and Dvořák A minor Violin Concertos. The “brilliant and musically insightful German violinist” (The New York Times) is joined by the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich and David Zinman.

Reviewing Julia Fischer’s performance of the Dvořák Concerto in London, The Guardian wrote, “Dvořák’s Violin Concerto, a romantic showpiece too often passed over in favour of Bruch and Mendelssohn, has a piquant slow movement to compete with either. Fischer made sure we heard every note, handing us each bar with absolute technical assurance and in a lustrous, seamless tone.”

Fischer points out that the two concertos have much in common: “Formally they are very similar. Both first movements start with quasi-improvised phrases, and both go into the second movement without a break. The slow movements are structurally very similar – each is of heightened importance within the concerto.” The concertos were composed approximately a decade apart and both composers sought input from the great Hungarian violinist Joseph Joachim.

Julia Fischer wished to record the concertos with the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich and David Zinman, with whom she has a special relationship. “One of my first concerts was with the Tonhalle Zürich and I first played with David Zinman in 2003. He is a very natural musician and very intelligent but in the end he simply makes music. That is a gift.” Fischer was artist-in-residence with the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich in 2009–2010. The distinctive sound of the orchestra, perfectly suited to the music of Bruch and Dvořák, is enhanced by the acoustic of their 1895 concert hall, where the concertos were recorded.