A new age of top-quality string players?

[Guest]

Elsewhere we have been discussing recordings/performances of Bach string playing and this led me to wonder if members agree that we are living in a new age of top-quality string players.

In no particular order we have some wonderful violinists including Isabelle Faust, Julia Fischer, Alina Ibragimova, Viktoria Mullova, Hilary Hahn, Lisa Batiashivili, Sergey Khachatrian; and among cellists we have Jean-Guihen Queyras, Anne Gastinel, Alisa Weilerstein, Jamie Walton.

Do members agree and who would you add/remove from the examples above.

[Thropplenoggin]

Elsewhere we have been discussing recordings/performances of Bach string playing and this led me to wonder if members agree that we are living in a new age of top-quality string players.

In no particular order we have some wonderful violinists including Isabelle Faust, Julia Fischer, Alina Ibragimova, Viktoria Mullova, Hilary Hahn, Lisa Batiashivili, Sergey Khachatrian; and among cellists we have Jean-Guihen Queyras, Anne Gastinel, Alisa Weilerstein, Jamie Walton.

Do members agree and who would you add/remove from the examples above.

I quite agree and plan on getting to see at least some of them before too long (my chance to hear Ibragimova was scuppered by snow)

Sol Gabetta - young French cellist (her Elgar is a must-hear)
Gavriel Lipkind - young Israeli cellist (lovely Bach suites)

[Barbirollians]

Daniel Muller-Schott to the cellists .

[Hornspieler]

Elsewhere we have been discussing recordings/performances of Bach string playing and this led me to wonder if members agree that we are living in a new age of top-quality string players.

In no particular order we have some wonderful violinists including Isabelle Faust, Julia Fischer, Alina Ibragimova, Viktoria Mullova, Hilary Hahn, Lisa Batiashivili, Sergey Khachatrian; and among cellists we have Jean-Guihen Queyras, Anne Gastinel, Alisa Weilerstein, Jamie Walton.

Do members agree and who would you add/remove from the examples above.

I can only say that there is one over-hyped lady who is not included. Well done AMs!

HS

[Mahler's3rd]

Hi Amateur51, I'd add Janine Jansen to the list, she's fantastic, seen her a couple of times live: The Tchaikovsky at The Proms a couple of years ago was sublime, and have a ticket to see her concert in December with the Utrecht Festival doing Bach's Concerto's at The Barbican, her recent recording of the Prokofiev is superb.

I'd second Viktoria Mullova, Lisa Batiashvilli, Isabelle Faust, Julia Fischer (Her Perfomance Of The Shostakovich at The Proms 3 years ago was stunning) Alina Ibragimova & Alisa Weilerstein, for sure. Also think there's some very exciting young String Quartet's, seeing one tonight The Elias Quartet with the second in their ongoing Beethoven cycle

[amateur51]

Hi Amateur51, I'd add Janine Jansen to the list, she's fantastic, seen her a couple of times live: The Tchaikovsky at The Proms a couple of years ago was sublime, and have a ticket to see her concert in December with the Utrecht Festival doing Bach's Concerto's at The Barbican, her recent recording of the Prokofiev is superb.

I'd second Viktoria Mullova, Lisa Batiashvilli, Isabelle Faust, Julia Fischer (Her Perfomance Of The Shostakovich at The Proms 3 years ago was stunning) Alina Ibragimova & Alisa Weilerstein, for sure. Also think there's some very exciting young String Quartet's, seeing one tonight The Elias Quartet with the second in their ongoing Beethoven cycle

Completely agree about Jsnine Jensen and about young string quartets - would appreciate your thoughts after tonight's concert please, Mahler's3rd

[gurnemanz]

Sol Gabetta - young French cellist (her Elgar is a must-hear)

Heard her Shostakovich 2nd Concerto last night at The Festival Hall with Ashkenazy and Philharmonia. The first time we had heard it live and it was a riveting performance, especially catching everything in vivid detail from Row C. The Elgar disc sounds tempting. She was signing CDs in the interval.

She is Argentinian, of French/Russian decent.

[Thropplenoggin]

Heard her Shostakovich 2nd Concerto last night at The Festival Hall with Ashkenazy and Philharmonia. The first time we had heard it live and it was a riveting performance, especially catching everything in vivid detail from Row C.

Lucky you!

[AmpH]

Elsewhere we have been discussing recordings/performances of Bach string playing and this led me to wonder if members agree that we are living in a new age of top-quality string players.

In no particular order we have some wonderful violinists including Isabelle Faust, Julia Fischer, Alina Ibragimova, Viktoria Mullova, Hilary Hahn, Lisa Batiashivili, Sergey Khachatrian; and among cellists we have Jean-Guihen Queyras, Anne Gastinel, Alisa Weilerstein, Jamie Walton.

Do members agree and who would you add/remove from the examples above.

Some very fine players in that list Am51 - especially Julia Fischer and Alina Ibragimova. I would add James Ehnes (violin), Lawrence Power (viola) and Natalie Clein (cello) who have all given me great pleasure both live and on disc.

[Rolmill]

No dispute about the names listed so far. Off hand I would add Maxim Vengerov, Vadim Repin, James Ehnes, Gil Shaham to the violinists, plus a brace of Capucons (violin and cello). And we shouldn't ignore some terrific viola players such as Lawrence Power and Maxim Rysanov.

It really does seem like a golden age, but I'm not sure why that should be - more opportunities, better teaching, wider dissemination of their work, cleverer PR? None of these ring entirely true to me - maybe it's an illusion and time's filtration process will eventually leave us looking back on just another pretty good couple of generations....

[Nick Armstrong]

Lawrence Power (viola)

Mesmerising musician, and one must add in the same breath (and on the same instrument) the slightly younger Maxim Rysanov.

I think I prefer the viola, played at that level of skill, to any other stringed instrument.

[Nick Armstrong]

And we shouldn't ignore some terrific viola players such as Lawrence Power and Maxim Rysanov.

A palpable cross-post (I was busy looking up their respective ages...)

[Sir Velo]

I hadn't appreciated Kennedy had retired.

I dont think mention has been made so far of the following, among violinists: Zehetmair; Manze.

Cellists: Gerhardt; Isserlis (of course, being British, no one is going to mention him ).

[Rolmill]

A palpable cross-post (I was busy looking up their respective ages...)

I must admit, I did wonder whether the OP intended an age criterion - but couldn't see any such reference. In any case, the inclusion of Viktoria Mullova implied that it wasn't only the most recent generation to be considered - I wouldn't want to bandy a lady's age about the boards, but I am aware that she and I are of approximately the same vintage...

[AmpH]

I think I prefer the viola, played at that level of skill, to any other stringed instrument.

Absolutely. In fact, when it is played well, I think I prefer it to any other instrument.