Press
The One-armed of the World War
"A concert in the International Theater in Frankfurt offered the opportunity to become acquainted with Schulhoff's very ambitious and demanding Piano Suite for the left hand. We owe this to pianist Vladimir Stoupel, who played the five movements with subtle stylistic differentiation: from the beginning with the impressionistic timbres up to the percussive, toccata-like, and dissonant movements in bright expressionistic colors. In Sonata No. 2 in A Minor from Eugène Ysaÿe's op. 27, violinist Judith Ingolfsson precisely worked out the very different characteristics. And with Shostakovich's Sonata for violin and piano, op. 134, Stoupel and Ingolfsson showed themselves to be an excellently attuned duo. They sharpened the contrasts of this late work, whose radical nature and modernity were shown to best advantage."
~ Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
"Violinist Judith Ingolfsson and pianist Vladimir Stoupel brought power and purpose to a varied duo program at the National Gallery on Sunday. When they played together, the sum of these two fine artists produced moments of great imagination."
~ The Washington Post
“At the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival the duo displayed wonderful unity and played fabulously.”
~ Hamburger Abendblatt (Germany)
"The violinist Judith Ingolfsson performed in Frankfurt/Main at the highest level with her duo partner, pianist Vladimir Stoupel. As a duo, they showed themselves to be most advantageously attuned to each other. Their sensitive communication made an impeccably refined impression."
~ Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (Germany)
CD REVIEWS:
Bursting with Excitement
"With his Divertimento, Igor Stravinsky took up the classical tradition of Haydn and Mozart. He did this with his own characteristic, strongly rhythmized musical language, which is the first thing that strikes us about this recording. The duo Ingolfsson-Stoupel plays very communicatively, taking the listeners along on an exciting musical journey. Judith Ingolfsson elicits a nearly infinite palette of timbres from her violin – here and there filigree and gentle, then powerful, bursting with energy. At the same time, the duo never neglects the enigmatic, humorous character of the genre.
Dmitri Shostakovich composed the Violin Sonata op. 134 during the final years of his life, years that were marked by the composer’s physical decline. Even though one should guard against interpreting the work from a biographical point of view, there is no mistaking the farewell to life. With impressive rhetorical skill, Judith Ingolfsson and Vladimir Stoupel emphasize the work’s rather morbid mood. They fashion the Sonata keenly and pointedly in the Allegretto, and with fateful vehemence and a real storm of emotions in the concluding Largo."
Evaluation: ***** (5 stars)
~ Pizzicato Luxemburg
"The two musicians present expressive, almost tender Stravinsky, far removed from the neoclassical motoric style that this composer so readily cultivated during the 1920s. It is an imaginary dialogue between Stravinsky and his great model Tchaikovsky. The duo presents the Divertimento dreamy and playful, with delicacy and suppleness."
~ Hessischer Rundfunk 2 - Kultur
Virtuoso and resolute
"Violinist Judith Ingolfsson and pianist Vladimir Stoupel have made a new recording of two major chamber music works of Russian modernism: the Divertimento by Igor Stravinsky and the Violin Sonata by Dmitri Shostakovich.
Judith Ingolfsson and Vladimir Stoupel present the two works scrupulously and yet with great lightness. Their Stravinsky is convincing above all as a result of the virtuoso rendition of the lyrical melodies. They play the Shostakovich Sonata a bit slower than usual, which is however quite beneficial for the piece. Judith Ingolfsson really puts her all into the sustained tones, producing in a warm, resolute, and sometimes also aggressive sound. At the same time, she can scale back wonderfully to a gentle, sensitive pianissimo in the soft passages.
Vladimir Stoupel also proves himself to be an expert in the music of his two compatriots, solidly providing a foundation for the violin's excursions: crystal-clear ensemble playing with a sure feel for the subtle complexities and large contrasts."
Evaluation: ***** (5 stars)
~ RBB KULTURRADIO
"Judith Ingolfsson offers us an admirable and powerful version of the famous Divertimento for violin and piano by Igor Stravinsky. One can virtually hear the Franco-Belgian violin school in her bowing. Apart from her truly breathtaking virtuosity, Ingolfsson explores Stravinsky's world of expression with impressive intelligence, making the transition from sardonic-humorous to profoundly emphatic, lyrical playing in the blink of an eye. An extraordinary performance, not least due to the perfect accord and balance with the playing of pianist Vladimir Stoupel, who contributed his part to this absolutely successful recording.
Following Stravinsky's Divertimento, the duo carries us off to a completely different world with the Sonata op. 134 by Shostakovich. The present interpretation of the Sonata, which was first performed by David Oistrach and the composer himself, is likewise in a league of its own. With extremely intensive drama (that takes us to icy heights), the duo succeeds with its proven virtuosity (the central Allegretto) in conveying the dramatic and tragic character of the piece in an ideal manner. To be sure, this recital sends the listener away musically "overwhelmed." But it is for a good cause!"
Evaluation: CD of the Month
~ RESMUSICA (France)
Sovereign and self-confident
That’s what winners look like. The poses assumed by Judith Ingolfsson and Vladimir Stoupel in the cover photo of their first duo CD declare the musicians’ self-confidence – and after one has heard the recording, one can say: justifiably so. With Igor Stravinsky’s Divertimento and Dmitri Shostakovich’s Violin Sonata op. 143, the duo does not tackle pieces in which the technical-virtuoso mastery of the instrument is foremost. But all the more they demand skill in dealing with the literature of the twentieth century, which again proves to be enormously different in the two Russian composers.
The duo’s playing comes from within; it comes across as natural and, consequently, convincing. The fact that this attitude can be recognized in all facets of the works contributes to the impact of the disc, which was released by Audite in collaboration with Deutschlandradio Kultur. Beyond the brilliant performance, the listening pleasure is intensified by the crystal clear quality of the recording.
After a fairytale-like introduction, the lively rhythm bubbles up in the first movement of Stravinsky’s Divertimento, the “Sinfonia” – a first dramatic effect that the duo reveals in sparkling, always ballast-free interplay. The consistent lightness of the timbre, particularly that of the violin, which is also maintained in the lyrical-contemplative passages, has the effect of a magic potion in all the pieces: never intrusive, always flowing, and yet not pale. Also realized in this manner is the refined stylistic mixture of the second movement, the “Danse suisse” (Swiss Dance), which requires alternation between folkloristic and cantabile gestures. A homophonic movement, which has the apparent effect of blending the solo voices into a single chordal instrument, muscles its way in between. In the last movement, too, a “Pas de deux” with variations on an Adagio theme, the composer’s subtle humor is rendered in a very natural manner, for example, when gentle staccato notes in the accompaniment join a chanson-like melody with which Ingolfsson can finally display the brilliance of her sound in the high range, or, as in the last variation, when the music is reminiscent of the fundament of a pantomime act at the circus.
On the other hand, the associations evoked by Shostakovich’s Violin Sonata, op. 134, are anything but cheerful. Even if not actually gloomy, the work at least has a consuming tension. The first movement of the unconventional sequence is an Andante: a tapping pulse that traverses the movement throughout the slow tempo, reduced dynamics, and incursions of noise music. In another mood, one could speak of a grandiose scene that Ingolfsson and Stouple offer here. The following Allegretto has a lighter feeling; paradoxically, as it is actually a turbulent movement: Scratching tones are sustained against supple scales with a continuous up and down within the tonal space. In the third movement, Largo, the work comes full circle: after the climax of short solo passages in the piano and violin, they shape a shimmering fade out with reference to the sound of the first movement. The tension, however, is sustained beyond the end of the piece.
It will be of great interest to see whether Judith Ingolfsson and Vladimir Stoupel decide to make further recordings. With the works by Stravinsky and Shostakovich, the duo has proven that it feels comfortable particularly in the area of the classic modern style. And especially here, courage and self-assurance are necessary. The musicians obviously have both.
~ Klassik.com