Artist Details Ariadne DaskalakisCategory: Instrumentalists - StringsThe violin playing of Ariadne Daskalakis is characterised by its pure, warm sound, married to technical brilliance. She is a player that provokes a spine tingling reaction from the first stroke of her bow. The warmth of her playing is mirrored in her character, making her performance generous in a manner that draws the listener right into the soul of the music. Biography...Striking athleticism, musical insight, expressive embellishment and elegiac lyricism. The Strad
A unique violinist, Ariadne Daskalakis is a discerning musician with a profound understanding of musical language and a keen interest in its historical development. The flexibility and warmth of her tone are celebrated internationally by audiences and critics alike.
BIOGRAPHY Highlights of her career include solo appearances with the Prague Chamber Orchestra, the English Chamber Orchestra, the Bavarian Radio Orchestra and the Stuttgart Philharmonic as well as recitals in venues such as the Kammermusiksaal of the Philharmonie Berlin and Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall. She has also regularly directed concerts with the Ensemble Oriol Berlin.
ReviewsPERFORMANCES WITH ORCHESTRA: Bernstein Serenade : Philharmonic Orchestra Hahen : Stadthalle Hagen ...Ariadne Daskalakis, youngest Violin Professor in Cologne since 2000, was brilliant as the soloist. It was wonderful how she expressed enraptured intimacy in her playing. In the last movement 'typical Bernstein' flared up: jazz-influenced passion with rhythmic percussion episodes. Christoph Bingel, Westfälische Rundschau, February 12 2009
REVIEWS
Monika Willer, Westfalenpost, February 12, 2009
"...The first half of the concert was dominated by Beethoven's Violin Concerto, performed by Ariadne Daskalakis. Her sound was powerful and confident. The structural unity of the concerto was performed with clarity... The middle movement was performed with delicacy and sensitivity. Daskalakis' clear, round and tonally secure sound was especially appreciated. In the third movement... the violinist showed power and expression and concluded the concerto with success." Nikos Dontas, Kathimerini, January 18, 2009
Violin Concertos by Tartini and Haydn with the Cologne Chamber Orchestra in the Cologne Philharmonic Hall "Eyecontact with the Virtuoso" Fresh Wind in the Cologne Philharmonie's Series 'Masterworks' ...The orchestra had already made an award-winning quality recording of Tartini Violin Concertos with the fabulous violinist and Cologne Professor Ariadne Daskalakis. They performed Tartini and Haydn in historical tradition without conductor, opting for direct contact between the orchestra and the virtuoso. She resisted heaviness in the carefree passages, and let her violin dance and sparkle its way through the remarkably difficult material. MK, Cologne Stadtanzeiger, December 12, 2008
"Elegance till the last Note." ...Highlights of the richly varied program were the performances of violinist Ariadne Daskalakis. She performed two A-Major concertos by Tartini and Haydn as soloist and leader with lightness, tasteful vibrato and intelligent interaction with the orchestra. She formed the Adagios with feeling and poetry and the fast movements with dream-perfect elegance and energy. Matthias Corvin, Cologne Rundschau, December 9, 2008
Beethoven Violin Concerto: Polish Chamber Philharmonic, Cond. Wojciech Rajski "The highlight was Ludwig van Beethoven's famous Violin Concerto… [Ariadne Daskalakis] unfolded a soulful, intimate, melting tone, of which the bewitching beauty commanded the listeners' attention in spite of the open-air conditions... Ariadne Daskalakis came out strong with commanding form in the Rondo, an energetic movement which enchants with its voluptuously intoxicating sounds." Hanna Styrie, Kölner Rundschau, 20. August 2007
Frank-Uwe Orbons, Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger, 20. August 2007
Musical Gems: Palace Concert with Helmut Müller-Brühl and the Cologne Chamber Orchestra Rhein-Erft-Rundschau, 13 June 2006
World Premier with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra under Sian Edwards "Walter's 'Zeichnung' can be considered . . . a juxtapositioning of orchestra and a solo part. The solo violin (subtly played by Ariadne Daskalakis) is the focal point, embedded in the percussion and interwoven into the orchestra score." Dorothea Husslein, Münchner Merkur, 14 June 2004
"The solo violin (Ariadne Daskalakis) and the four percussionists (Cologne Percussion Quartet) were woven as lyrical elements into the fabric of the orchestral movement and imbued this finely engraved 'Zeichnung' with contemplative qualities." Rüdiger Schwarz, Abendzeitung München, 14 June 2004
Ariadne Daskalakis and the Potsdam Chamber Academy "The program centred on Tartini's violin concerto in G Major. It was performed masterfully by the young Greek violinist Ariadne Daskalakis, who balanced the sonorities well with the full orchestra. With the acoustics of the concert hall (the Fürstensaal), every register of her violin carried without being shrill in any way, letting the solo part's many runs, double stops, and appogiaturas sparkle effortlessly. She rendered the Andante with great sensitivity and meditative warmth." Nikolaus Frey, Fuldaer Zeitung, 7 April 2004
"(Daskalakis) executes the flourishing runs with immaculate intonation and stresses the recurring chords of the G Major concerto. Ariadne Daskalakis winds her way expertly through the challenging, virtuosic first and final movements. Especially in the cadenza-like passages... the soloist sparkles with her outstanding technical skills and facility. Daskalakis's sound aesthetic is clearly influenced by historical performance practice. With delicate, graceful sound she chisels her phrases clearly. Lyrical, voluptuous passages - as in Tartini's b minor Concerto - sound totally natural and clear. ...An interesting Rediscovery of Tartini's works in a flawless recording." Antje Hintz, NDR (North German Radio), January 2006
Ariadne Daskalakis as Soloist and Leader of Ensemble Oriol Berlin On April 19, 2002, in the Chamber Music Hall of the Berlin Philharmonie: "Mozart was a consummate master at pulling every kind of trick conceivable. And he showed it in his violin concerto in A Major, KV 219, performed by Ensemble Oriol led by soloist Ariadne Daskalakis in the Chamber Music Hall of the Berlin Philharmonie. . . . Absolutely nothing obscured the clarity of her articulation and the consistency of her sound's beautiful, icy timbre. One sensed she was taking a stand against the marzipan Mozart of dime stores and souvenir shops." Jan Brachmann, Berliner Zeitung, 22 April 2002
Ariadne Daskalakis and the Brünn Philharmonic Orchestra Violin Concerto no. 5 by W. A. Mozart: "With her convincing artistic maturity, penetrating insight, and impeccable tone, [Ariadne Daskalakis] gave a first-class rendition, seconded by the ensemble's own flawless performance." Coesfelder Nachrichten, 27 November 2001
Ariadne Daskalakis and the Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra under J.-P. Weigle "Brahms a highlight" "The first movement of his violin concerto became a homogeneous whole, uniting passion, intellect, and rapture. Ms. Daskalakis possesses the outstanding qualities of the 'diabolic violinist' called for by the frenzy of expression in the exposition and elsewhere. But she also gets the violin to 'sing' with beguiling beauty like the voice of an angel." Delmenhorster Kurier, 15 September 2000
"As soloist in the Violin Concerto by Johannes Brahms, the renowned artist impressed especially with her attentiveness and care with double stops and with her impeccable technique in the extremely virtuosic cadenza of the first movement. After the singing moments of the Adagio... followed the famous Hungarian Rondo, where both the soloist and the orchestra sparkled with spirit." Stefan Lewerenz, Delme Report, 17 September 2000 "The greatest performance was by the soloist, Ariadne Daskalakis, in the Brahms D-Major Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, op. 77. She executed the difficult passages masterfully, cutting an almost capricious figure in the front row next to conductor Jörg-Peter Weigle." Delmenhorster Kreisblatt, 15 September 2000
Ariadne Daskalakis and the Radio Orchestra of Südwestdeutscher Rundfunk (SWR) under Michael Luig "She took Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Concerto for Violin and Orchestra no. 3 in G Major, KV 216, and played it with heart and soul. Daskalakis's spirited performance charged the dialogue between soloist and orchestra with the wealth of Mozart's thoughts and emotional depth. She graciously offset the 'lack of virtuosity' in Mozart's score with a near-perfect rendition of the work. Her subtle treatment of the musical substance, her exquisite nuances, and her pure, focused tone made the concerto the highlight of the evening -- to thunderous applause." MRZ, 29 August 2000
Ariadne Daskalakis and the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonic Orchestra "Playing with perfect technique on a wonderful instrument, the Greek violinist Ariadne Daskalakis gave a rousing artistic performance as the soloist [in Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E-Minor] with the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonic orchestra." Lippische Landeszeitung, May 2000
REVIEWS OF CHAMBER MUSIC PERFORMANCES Oberhessische Press, September 2006
Festival "Sound Encounters" in Boston - "Best of the season" "Performances were top-shelf wonderful, among the best heard all season. Festival organizers Carol Rodland and Michael Norsworthy, joined by Ariadne Daskalakis, Scott Kluksdahl and Max Levinson, played as if their very lives depended on it. All aspects of execution - pitch, tone, technique, pacing, interpretation - were flawless, as were chamber interaction and blend." (David Cleary, "new music connoisseur", June 2006)
Three Soloists Open the Four-day "Contours" Music Festival with Superb Concert "Ariadne Daskalakis . . . chose Maurice Ravel's 'Tzigane' for her concert solo. She interpreted this Gypsy-inspired rhapsody with resounding mellowness, a highly evocative tone, and flawless technique." Hanna Styrie, Rhein-Erft-Kreis Kurier, 5 January 2004
"With Artistic Sensitivity and Devotion" -- The Manon Quartet Berlin Opens the Cologne "Feste musicali" Series with Haydn's The Seven Last Words of the Redeemer on the Cross "The first violinist was spellbinding in her ability to intone both sorrow and consolation, both desolation and a vision of imminent paradise. Her partners (Bernhard Forck, Sebastian Gottschick, and Anna Carewe) also distinguished themselves at every turn. The quartet took Haydn's dynamic extremes to heart, bringing out the light and shadows of the harmonies and showing how individual words become the essence of the music. Their depiction of the earthquake lacked nothing in the way of terror and tumult." Emka Pirbauer, Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger, 22 April 2003
Ariadne Daskalakis and Miri Yampolsky In the Chamber Music Hall of the Berlin Philharmonie: "Unsurpassed ensemble playing, whether they are executing a sudden entry or rendering a subtle line. . . . But perhaps the most beautiful of all is the restrained second movement [of Beethoven's 'Spring Sonata'], in which the wonderful interplay of individually shaped tempi weaves a fabric of precisely balanced lines, with all their hesitations, ideas, and questions. There is not a single empty phrase; everything is discourse. . . . Better chemistry between musicians would be hard to find. . . . With flawless technique in Gabriel Fauré's A-Major Sonata, the two women illustrate the composer's late-romantic world of sound, its soaring, fleeing, longing, trembling, and the inwardness of the Andante." Berliner Zeitung, December 1999
"Impressive duo [Ariadne Daskalakis, Miri Yampolsky] sweeps away audience on a river of music. . . . It was also here [sonatas by Ravel and Fauré] that the duo showed off the kind of chemistry that practice alone can never achieve on its own. The two traded phrases back and forth with the subtlest of differences. . . . There was a superb crescendo in the final movement of the Fauré, particular, where the violinist, who was leading a chain of alternative phrases, finally gave her all." The Globe and Mail Toronto, February 1999
DiscographyAriadne Daskalakis' latest CD release is with pianist Miri Yampolsky and features the complete works for violin and piano by Lutoslawski. This CD is recorded on the Naxos label and also includes works by Szymanowski and Janacek. “…I warm to the polish in the playing and dynamic drama and tensions between passion and restraint, songful lyricism, playfulness and fervour.” “…newcomers need fear no lack in quality, either in performance or production, and can count on having struck chamber-music gold.” Dominy Clements - MusicWeb International, April 2009
“Ariadne Daskalakis … draws a honeyed tone from her 1769 Guadagnini violin, subtly colouring the ecstatic moments ... Her playing is technically impeccable and has the necessary impact for Lutoslawski’s Partita… David Denton – The Strad, July 2009
“The quirky Janáček comes over very nicely in this performance, moulding the whole convincingly structurally…” Guy Rickards – Gramophone, August 2009
"The ending, with its last few wisps of sound, is one of the most amazing things I have heard in ages. What a treat for the ears this album is!" The American Record Guide, July 2009
LUTOSLAWSKI, W.: Violin Music (Complete) SZYMANOWSKI, K.: Myths JANACEK, L: Violin Sonata Ariadne Daskalakis, Miri Yampolsky CATALOGUE No: 8.570987 | EAN-CODE: 0747313098774
DISCOGRAPHY
"Daskalakis brings to these works striking athleticism, musical insight, expressive embellishment and elegiac lyricism."
Robin Stowell – theStrad
"Ariadne Daskalakis winds her way expertly through the challenging, virtuosic first and final movements. Especially in the cadenza-like passages... the soloist sparkles with her outstanding technical skills and facility. ...Lyrical, voluptuous passages - as in Tartini's b minor Concerto - sound totally natural and clear. ...An interesting Rediscovery of Tartini's works in a flawless recording." Antje Hintz, NDR (North German Radio), Januar 2006
This CD featured as the Naxos CD of the month on it’s release in Germany and, when released world wide, as the Concerto selection of the month in the June 2007 edition of "The Strad".
Further master works, recorded live. Upcoming EventsSATURDAY 06 MARCH 2010 8.00 pm: International duo, Ariadne Daskalakis (violin) and Miri Yampolsky (piano). Bach Sonata in c-minor BWV 1017; Sebastian Gottschick (New Work in memory of Susan Alberghini); Beethoven Sonata Nr. 10 in G Major, Opus 96; Lutoslawski "Partita". Mazzoleni Hall, Royal Conservatory of Music, 273 Bloor Street West.
EVENTS
20 – 27 March 2010
10 DECEMBER 2008, 8 P.M.
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