| Press Acclaim |
| American Record Guide - Haydn Violin Concertos (Naxos) It would be very easy to love Augustin Hadelich's violin playing simply for his crystalline technical facility or his always-interesting singing sound, but I am partial to his long and deep sense of phrase, his sensual relationship to the pitches that really ring on his instrument, and his fresh approach to Haydn. There is something about his playing that excites my "inner violinist" (something that always seems to be at odds from my "outer violinist") in a way that no other violinist excites it. There is something unique about his playing: perhaps a purity of intent or a direct line to what is essential in music. It is difficult to describe, but it is easy to recognize. He is able to let phrases soar in the air, making great and graceful arcs; and then he lets them land lightly, yet decisively. Hearing him play Haydn makes me happy—not a giddy kind of happy, but a balanced kind of happy. While the music is playing, I have a feeling that all is right with the world. This recording is one of his prizes for winning the 2006 International Violin Competition of Indianapolis. Another prize is the use for four years of the ex-Gingold Stradivarius, the instrument that he plays here. Each component of the trio of Haydn, Hadelich, and Stradivari brings out the best in the others, and Hadelich's stunningly-beautiful cadenzas reflect (and sometimes even improve on) the best moments in these concertos. I am impressed that he chose these three Haydn concertos for his Naxos recording. Even though they are extremely difficult to play they do not appear virtuosic to the non-violinist. Aside from the First Concerto in C, these works are not very popular. Violinists and people who play with violinists know that they all require a tremendous amount of musicianship and technical strength to play well, and they also demand an excellent accompanying orchestra, which Hadelich has in Helmm Muller-Bruhl and the Cologne Chamber Orchestra.
After hearing this recording you will agree with me that the future of great violin playing is safe and very bright in Augustin Hadelich' 24-year-old hands. |
| Los Angeles Philharmonic - Prokofiev concerto no. 2 Now, the good news. Hadelich (...) is a real find. Inheriting the Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 2 from Rachlin, he displayed complete command of the material. He had a sure grasp of the arching lines of the first movement and the freedom to indulge in impulsive gusts of energy without losing contact with the line. He drew a beautiful, pure, dark-shaded tone from his 1683 vintage Stradivarius, illuminating the songful stretches and shadowy flutterings of the second movement. He allowed a touch of roughness to creep into his tone in the finale, yet his rhythm was firm -- firmer than that of the orchestral accompaniment -- and he didn't neglect the movement's playfulness. This is not a sure-fire concerto to wow a Bowl
audience with, and Hadelich is not one of those showboating types
who flaunt exaggerated intensity on the Bowl's huge video screens, but wow the crowd he did. And
with a silken tone and dead-on multiple stops, he added an impressive
solo encore, Paganini's Caprice No. 21. |
| Carnegie Hall Debut with the Fort Worth Symphony The young soloists, both notable emerging artists, played impressively: the brilliant violinist Augustin Hadelich, born and raised in Italy but German by heritage; and the Berlin-born cellist Alban Gerhardt, who combines lush sound with agile technique. NEW YORK TIMES |
| CD review: Haydn - Violin Concertos (Naxos) The performances confirm Hadelich's high talent, with rock solid intonation and phrasing in music that often makes considerable technical demands on the soloist. The concertos are less inventive works than Haydn's symphonies, and Hadelich wisely doesn't try to make more out of them than is there. His willingness to take the music at face value is its own kind of sophistication, and confirms him as a musician worth keeping a close eye on. BOSTON GLOBE |
| Kölner Kammerorchester - Haydn Concerto in C Da konnte der junge Geiger Augustin Hadelich mit Zauberton für Haydns einschlägiges Violinkonzert plädieren, blitzsauber auch in Doppelgriffpassagen. Er hob liebenswerte Details heraus, etwa die Borduntöne im Kopfsatz, und das Adagio entzückte als Ständchen in geigerischer Schönschrift. KÖLNER STADTANZEIGER |
| Kansas City Symphony - Dvorak Concerto Violinist Augustin Hadelich plays with a sweet tone and winning command. His elegant and solidly musical rendering of the Dvorak Concerto with the Kansas City Symphony on Saturday was an unmitigated delight... ...[His Stradivarious] has warmth and mellow burnish that can sound like a human voice, and Hadelich used its qualities to beguiling effect in Dvorak’s gigantic slow movement. KANSAS CITY STAR |
| Santa Barbara Symphony - Beethoven Concerto Hadelich has everything working perfectly — his phrasing, intonation, and tone are all stellar — but his sense of interpretation sets him apart from the field. He isn’t there to show off his considerable talent; he wants to tell us something about the work. His performance of the first movement, for instance, gives us the simple, bold main theme with as much nerve as anyone could want, then goes on through the development revealing all its possibilities. The “Larghetto” was moving yet cerebral, and the finale celebrated a heroic return of confidence in the power of music. For an encore, Hadelich played Paganini’s Caprice No. 9 and brought the house to its feet again. SANTA BARBARA INDEPENDENT |
| Charlotte Symphony - Beethoven Concerto ...But violin Augustin Hadelich played with a warmth and fluency that let him stand comparison with the more famous Shaham. Not only did he treat the soaring melodies to gentleness and gleaming tone, but he gave the lower-lying spots a glow that made them stand out in their own way. And he dispatched even the most finger-tangling moments with ease. When he tossed off the last flourish, he let Beethoven end on an upswing. CHARLOTTE OBSERVER |
| CD review: Haydn - Violin Concertos (Naxos) Für alle, die das Staunen nicht verlernt haben: Augustin Hadelich (23) spielt die drei verblüffend schönen Violinkonzerte von Joseph Haydn mit dem Kölner Kammerorchester von Helmut Müller-Brühl. Der zweite Satz im ersten Konzert ist ein meditatives Wunder. Ja, Papa Haydn tut gut. Ein geigerisches Phänomen wie Hadelich hört auch Haydns visionäre Romantik (Naxos). STUTTGARTER NACHRICHTEN - Dezember 2007 |
| Columbus Symphony - Mozart Concerto no. 5 Joy is certainly the word to describe hearing the local debut of violinist Augustin Hadelich, a young German player trained in Italy and New York. As featured soloist in Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 5 in A Major, Hadelich immediately impressed with his effortless, fluid technique and bold, energetic playing. With a 1683 Stradivari in hand, the sound was gorgeous and clear from top to bottom, and Hadelich mined this jewel fully, imbuing everything with the utmost musicality. He explored the infinite, small interpretive possibilities in Mozart with taste and surprising sophistication for one so young. And he relished the extended and sometimes challenging cadenzas by Joseph Joachim. After several curtain calls, Hadelich played the Paganini Caprice No. 21 with great power and skill as his encore. He is easily the most impressive young artist to make a debut here in many a moon. COLUMBUS DISPATCH |
| “Himmlisch leichte Klänge” -
Mozart Concertos no. 2 and 5 Mit lupenreinem Ton, innigem Ausdruck und filigraner Technik war der 23-jährige Geiger Augustin Hadelich der stille Star des jüngsten "Meisterwerk"-Konzerts des Kölner Kammerorchesters. In Mozarts Violinkonzerten Nr. 2 und 5 bewies er, was große Geigenkunst ausmacht. Mit völliger Kontrolle über seine Stradivari entdeckte er in Mozarts Konzerten neue Tiefe und Klarheit. Meisterhaft seine feinsinnige Dramaturgie in den Solokadenzen, etwa im Andante des zweiten Violinkonzerts. Kontur gab er auch dem bekannten fünften Konzert, bereits der dynamisch zurückgenommene Einstieg ließ aufhorchen. Und die virtuose Zugabe, Paganinis Caprice Nr. 21, spielte er mit himmlischer Leichtigkeit. Sicher wird Hadelich, der in den USA bereits großes Aufsehen erregte, auch bald Deutschland erobern. Der begeisterte Applaus ließ schon darauf schließen. KÖLNISCHE RUNDSCHAU |
| Fort Worth Symphony - Brahms Double Concerto Violinist Augustin Hadelich and cellist Alban Gerhardt played as one, with virtually flawless coordination and intonation. Mr. Hadelich proved a player of effortless brilliance and unassuming musicality. DALLAS MORNING NEWS |
| Indianapolis Violin Competition – classical
and romantic finals German Augustin Hadelich…showed his superlative musicianship in a daring performance of Mozart’s lesser-known Concerto No. 2, in which he presented cadenzas of striking originality… Hadelich proved himself a masterful musician in a searing performance of the beloved Bartók [concerto no. 2] that left both audience and orchestra cheering. THE STRAD (December 2006 issue) |
| Indianapolis Violin competition Hadelich, and his deeply emotive playing, dominated the competition. In addition to winning the overall event, he took the best performance of the commissioned work by Bright Sheng, “A Night at the Chinese Opera;” the best performance of a Beethoven sonata; the best performance of a Sonata other than Beethoven (he played a terrific Bartók Solo Sonata); the best performance of solo Bach; the best encore; the best classical concerto; and the best romantic concerto. STRINGS MAGAZINE (November 2006 issue) |
| Indianapolis Violin Competition - Bartók
concerto no. 2 Hadelich's performance...combined virtuosic technique with dependable intonation, a captivating stage presence, a singing style that transcended dissonant harmonies and a sound that could stand up to the full forces of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. INDIANAPOLIS STAR |
| New Juilliard Ensemble - Schnittke concerto no.
3 “ Sitting us up straight…was Alfred Schnittke’s Violin Concerto No. 3. Tortured, trilling solos, handsomely played here by Augustin Hadelich, are accompanied by a small woodwind-driven orchestra.” NEW YORK TIMES |
| Louisville Orchestra - Mozart concerti nos. 2
and 5 Even the most pernickety listener would find no fault in [Hadelich's] pristine technique and seamless homogeneity of sound... The final cadenza of the "Turkish" concerto was as brilliant and luminous as it was quiet and reserved. And an encore performance of Paganini's Caprice no. 24 proved that Hadelich can couple passion and pyrotechnics when the occasion demands. COURIER-JOURNAL (Louisville) |
| Ann Arbor Symphony - Tchaikovsky concerto “… Hadelich played the concerto like an angel – and with a sense of clarity and measure that made listening a fresh experience.” ANN ARBOR NEWS |
| Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra - Sibelius concerto Hadelich dispatched with intensity and passion the multiple themes of the first movement and gave a virtuoso performance of the cadenza… TIMES-PICAYUNE (New Orleans) |
| Symphony by the Sea - Bruch concerto From the opening notes, the audience could tell Hadelich is something special…this performance was high art indeed. The depth of feeling Hadelich brought through his playing was well beyond what one might anticipate from so young a man. MARBLEHEAD REPORTER (Marblehead, MA) |
| Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra - Vivaldi Four
Seasons Twenty-year-old violin prodigy Augustin Hadelich captivated a nearly full house on Thursday evening… [He] absolutely blew everyone away with his purity of tone and commanding presence as guest soloist for the invigorating work… Hadelich had the absolutely sweetest tone and was incredible to watch as he brought out the beauty of every single measure. CHATTANOOGA TIMES |
| Charlotte Symphony Orchestra - Bach concerto
no. 2 E Major Violinist Augustin Hadelich filled the fast movements with brightness and flitting energy. And he sang out the "Adagio" in supple, glowing phrases. It was rich but never syrupy. CHARLOTTE OBSERVER |
| Louisville Symphony Orchestra - Beethoven concerto His entrance after the opening Allegro's extended orchestral introduction marked the overall interpretation: unexpectedly broad tempos and dynamics scaled to the softer end of the violin's range. Under another artist's fingers the interpretation might have sounded fussy and synthetic; under Hadelich's, the performance seemed utterly intrinsic. COURIER-JOURNAL (Louisville) |
Chautauqua Festival Orchestra - Brahms concerto |
