Interview with Blaise Dejardin

Zlatomir Fung Interview

I was very pleased to have had an interview with Zlatomir Fung recently after his recital at the University of Chicago! It was a huge pleasure to have him on the new interview portion of the blog as our first guest! As we discuss his performance at the University of Chicago at the start of the clip, here is the repertoire he played (in such order): Shaporin: Six Pieces for Cello and Piano Sokolov: Romance , Op. 19 Ornstein: Six Preludes for Cello and Piano Glazunov: “Entr’acte” from Raymonda Shostakovich: Sonata for Cello and Piano in D minor, Op. 40

Andrei Ionita and Seong-Jin Cho - Bach Arioso (Verbier Festival 2018)

Andrei Ionita/Seong-jin Cho Bach Arioso link For the enco re piece of Andrei Ionita and Seong-Jin Cho’s performance at the Verbier festival in 2018, they chose Bach’s Arioso (Ada gio in G) from Cantata BWV 156. With the general trend for the past few years of playing anything baroque/ Bach with extreme lightness and a baroque bow hold (Compared to the heavy romantic-ness of Bach in Rostropovich’s time) we can see Andrei using a baroque bow hold and playing very lightly with many adornments/embellishments and Seong-Jin playing lightly with barely any pedal. Although light and beautiful, this piece is brought to life by Andrei’s musical intensity (which in my opinion is the greatest aspect of his playing), however a critique might be that it can get too romantic at times (however ultimately stays baroque). His right hand/bow is masterful in this piece, breathing with every phrase and really letting the Bach stay moving without feeling too airy. It's refreshing to listen to. His vi...

Rastrelli Cello Quartet - Tchaikovsky Andante Cantabile from the String Quartet n.1

Rastrelli Cello Quartet Tchaikovsky Andante Cantabile performance The Rastrelli Cello Quartet holds a very dear place in my heart. My mother (cellist Seongheui Jeon) studied alongside three of the cellists out of the quartet including the great Kira Kraftzoff, under the great teacher Anatoly Nikitin at the great St. Petersburg Conservatory. As I grew up listening to the very ‘Russian’ sound my mother produced from her cello, I realized it was shockingly similar to the sound produced by the Rastrelli Cello Quartet. The thin, wispy, melancholic yet warm sound was familiar and beautiful to my ears. My mother, cellist Seongheui Jeon St. Petersburg conservatory alumni This extr...

The Cello Bug

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