VC VOX POP | “What Piece of Repertoire Do You Still Want to Learn?” [Q&A]
The Violin Channel recently caught up with 30+ of the world’s top string players to find out …
"What piece of repertoire do you still want to learn?”
The Violin Channel recently caught up with 30+ of the world’s top string players to find out …
Australian Soloist, VC Artist Violinist Ray Chen:
“Lots of stuff ... I still have to get around to the Barber and Korngold Violin Concertos ... I’ve lived in the States for over 10 years now I really ought to pay tribute to my adopted country"
Canadian Violin Soloist Lara St. John:
“Oooooh tons ... but I am intrinsically lazy, and can't do anything without a goal ... so please, someone ask me for the Britten, Weill and Schoenberg ... I'm a fast learner!"
Time For Three Violinist, VC Artist Charles Yang:
“I've never played the Carl Nielsen Violin Concerto but I think it's a really cool piece! ... I'd love to learn it!"
VC Artist Cellist Kian Soltani:
“ALOT! ... Prokofiev Sinfonia Concertante to name one ... but there is so much I want to learn still ... you can ask me this question when i'm 80 years and I'd still have an answer!"
Curtis Institute Faculty Member, Violinist Ida Kavafian:
“Glazunov Concerto"
Buffalo Philharmonic Concertmaster, VC Artist Violinist Nikki Chooi:
"Bartok Solo Violin Sonata"
Dallas Symphony Concertmaster, Alexander Kerr:
"I would love to delve into both the late Beethoven Quartets and the Bartok Quartets"
Russian-American Violin Soloist Philippe Quint:
"Many pieces actually ... I have not played Berg, Britten, John Adams, Glass or Ligeti yet - next season I will bring Szymanowski 1 and Bartok 1 into my repertoire ..."
British Cello Soloist Steven Isserlis:
"Ooh, lots of pieces! .... in theory, that is - in practice I hate learning new things … but quite a bit more chamber music, a few more solo pieces, and hopefully some new music that has yet to be written ... "
Cellist Zuill Bailey:
“The Bach Cello Suites ... a never-ending journey."
French Violinist Augustin Dumay:
“I have just commissioned a concerto by a young composer named Jean-Frédéric Neuburger ..."
Veteran New England Conservatory Cello Pedagogue, Laurence Lesser:
“Dutilleux Cello Concerto"
Canadian Violin Soloist James Ehnes:
"Corigliano’s violin sonata ... I have to play it in 2 months, so I’d better get to work"
Violinist Anne Akiko Meyers:
"Future commissions including a new violin concerto from Adam Schoenberg and Huang Ruo ... and cadenzas for the Beethoven Concerto by Wynton Marsalis ..."
Italian-German Soloist, VC Artist Violinist Augustin Hadelich:
"I just started working on Bernstein's 'Serenade' ... it’s a beautiful and extremely entertaining piece that is rarely played outside of the US ... I try to add at least one new work every season ..."
Korean-American Violin Soloist Sarah Chang:
"So much! The violin rep is endless ... I would love to work with more living composers"
Violin Soloist Arnaud Sussman:
“I'm starting to learn Korngold Violin Concerto ... I enjoy listening to the piece and I have never studied it before so I decided to add it to my repertoire .."
American Soloist, VC Artist Violinist Stefan Jackiw:
"So many ... Just recently I fell in love with Janacek Violin Sonata ..."
VC Young Artist Violinist In Mo Yang:
“It would be much easier to list what I have already learned ... for now, I really want to learn the Schumann Violin Concerto ..."
Berlin Philharmonic Concertmaster, VC Artist Violinist Noah Bendix-Balgley:
"Many important pieces of the violin repertoire are on my list .... top among them are the Berg Violin Concerto and Bartok Violin Concerto No. 2"
VC Artist Violinist Tessa Lark:
“Bartok Solo Sonata"
VC Artist Violinist Benjamin Beilman:
“There are tons of pieces I want to learn but top of my list is Bartok Solo Sonata"
VC Artist Violinist Paul Huang:
“I still have so many repertoire that are waiting for me to discover"
VC Artist Violinist Igor Pikayzen:
“The opportunity to play Chausson's Concerto for Violin & Piano keeps evading me ... as does the "Four Seasons" of Piazzola ..."
VC Artist Violinist Fedor Rudin:
“Both Shostakovich Concerti ... I was born in Russia, my grandfather became a composer because Shostakovitch advised him to do so ... and my family lived in the Soviet Russia that Shostakovitch describes in his music ... I want to learn more about this and I hope to be able to understand this music ... "
VC Young Artist Violinist Kerson Leong:
”I would love to learn and perform Britten Violin Concerto in the near future ..."
VC Artist Violinist William Hagen:
"There are many pieces that I think are amazing that I haven't had the chance to play yet .... Dvorak Concerto, Glazunov Concerto, Barber Concerto, Schönberg 'Verklarte Nacht', Brahms G Major Viola Quintet, Beethoven Kreutzer Sonata ... I'm absolutely itching to play these!"
january 2025