Rachel Podger

Partita Nr. 3 in E major BWV 1006
Sonata nor. 2 in a minor BWV
1003 Sonata nr. 3 in C major BWV 1005

One of the most creative talents to emerge in the field of period performance over the last decade, Rachel Podger has established herself as a leading interpreter of the music of the Baroque and Classical periods. She was educated in Germany and in England at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama where she studied with David Takeno and Michaela Comberti. After beginnings with The Palladian Ensemble and Florilegium – both groups she helped create - she was leader of The English Concert from 1997 to 2002 and toured throughout the world, often as concerto soloist. In 2004 Rachel began a guest directorship with The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, opening with concerts of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos in the USA. Rachel is in demand as a guest director and has enjoyed collaborations with Arte dei Suonatori (Poland), Musica Angelica (USA), Santa Fe Pro Musica (USA), The Academy of Ancient Music and The European Union Baroque Orchestra. As a recitalist Rachel enjoys a busy career; she gives solo concerts across the globe, notably in North America, Western Europe, Korea and Japan. Rachel’s first solo recordings (Channel Classics Records), of J.S. Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas, were released in 1999 to great critical acclaim. These discs were followed by Bach’s Sonatas for Violin and Harpsichord with Trevor Pinnock. Both recordings were awarded first place by the BBC’s ‘Building a Library’ programme. Rachel’s recording of Telemann’s Twelve Fantasies for Solo Violin won the prestigious Diapason d’Or and was listed in the BBC Music Magazine’s ‘top 20’ classical CDs of 2002. Her Channel Classics’s 2003 recording of Vivaldi’s 12 violin concertos ‘La Stravaganza’ also received the Diapason d’Or and was awarded the 2003 Gramophone Award for Best Baroque Instrumental recording. In 2004 she embarked on a recording of the complete Mozart Sonatas with fortepianist Gary Cooper and Volumes 1 and 2 have already enjoyed critical acclaim including a Gramophone ‘Editor’s Choice’ and a Diapason d’Or. Teaching forms a significant part of Rachel’s musical life; as an accompaniment to her role as Professor of Baroque Violin at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, she regularly incorporates masterclasses into her busy concert schedule. She is a Fellow of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Rachel Podger is an Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Music. It is limited to 200-odd people and is one of the most ‘exclusive’ and ancient musical fellowships in the world. Mendelssohn, Liszt and Stravinsky treasured theirs and so do Rattle, Boulez, Dohynanyi, Masur, Colin Davis and Mackerras.

...) vioolspel op het allerhoogste niveau (...) (...) een uitzonderlijke kwaliteit die de aandacht verdient in het Bachjaar 2000 (...) Luister
(...) buitengewoon fraai, loepzuiver non-vibrato-spel (...) (...) Podger legt met haar elegante spel de substielste nuances van de muziek bloot. Het resultaat is van een tijdloze schoonheid. Volkskrant (...) Altogether a most impressive and rewarding disc. Gramophone
(...) Podger's infectious charm and unaffected musicianship are hard to resist. BBC Music Magazine (…) a joyful noise unto the Lord. Amazon.com.
(…) Vederlicht en speels, zodra het kan, introvert, bezonnen, ongehaast ook, maar zo vitaal dat er van saaiheid geen sprake is. Zij munt uit in een vlekkeloze intonatie en perfecte beheersing van de dubbelgrepen. (…) Klassieke Zaken (…) Sonics are absolute superb (…) (…) We will be hearing a lot more from and about this dramatically talented young Englishwoman. Vida, Oregon
(USA) Das ist fein ziseliert, ausgesprochen musikalisch und technisch hervorragend. Dazu gesellt such jedoch auch eine große Portion Fortune und Esprit – und so entstand eine wirklich ganz bemerkenswerte Einspielung von sehr anspruchsvollen Werken. Alte Musik Aktuell
(…) Rachel Podger ërklart: "versucht man, ein Gleichgewicht zwischen drei dingen zu finden: der notierte Musik, dem instrument uns sich selbst". Das hat sie gefunden in dieser formvollendeten, Feuer sprühenden, technisch ausgefeilten, tief lotenden Einspielung. Hessicher/Niedersächsische Allgemeide