Ariadne Daskalakis

"Ariadne Daskalakis brings to these works striking athletecism, musical insight, expressive embellishment and elegiac lyricism."

The Strad, June 2007

"[...] Nevertheless, his works have meanwhile been consigned to little more than marginal existence. Ariadne Daskalakis, professor of violin at the Cologne Conservatory, has made it a goal of hers to rectify that status. Thanks to her research, two of Tartini's concerti have been rediscovered and are recorded on this CD for the first time [...]"

"The free inception and development of the themes in these works suffuse the music with a positively romantic air. Daskalakis emphasizes this aspect through especially lyrical, meditative playing, showing that these movements alone have by all means made concerti D.50 and D.28 worthy of rediscovery and performance. [...]"

"Daskalakis consistently renders the solo passages with clear, but not harsh or aggressive tone. She is intent instead on executing the technically difficult passages with the appearance of utmost ease, lightness, grace. [...]"

Musik an sich; November 2006; Reviews: Tartini, G. (Müller-Brühl), Violin Concertos

"The soloist makes this recording persuasive Ariadne Daskalakis offers an incredibly sensitive and subtle interpretation of Tartini's violin concertos. She enchants the listener with the rich variety of nuances and facets in her tone. Her playing is "pure," not artificial. The more often one listens to her, the more intermediary registers one experiences. Creative and imaginative, the cadences have style; the ornamentations are varied. One senses that the artist really lives in the music. . . . The recording deserves . . . five stars for the soloist's magnificent performance. The grace and feeling in her use of the bow lend [the music] unbelievable expressiveness and move one to tears in the slow movements. Beautiful music."

Amazon.de, 8 October 2006

"Poetic [...] She has a pure, but strong tone [and] finely nuanced vibrato and legato. The sheer agility of her playing is no end in itself. And Tartini is the better for it, since his music is not about demonstrations of apparent virtuosity but about poetic aspects. [...]"

Fono Forum, May 2006

"[...] The interpretation of the works is first class, however. With superb technique, Daskalakis draws wondrous sounds from her Guadagnini violin from 1769 [...]"
Interpretation: 5 Stars
Sound quality: 5 Stars

Klassik.com; Review by Michael Loos, 25 March 2006

"CD tip: Intense Sonorous Discourses [...] but the relationship between soloist and orchestra is clearly shifted in favor of the individual. And that individual speaks in intense sonorous discourses that are sometimes tempestuously urgent, sometimes tender, but at no time just formulaic. [It is] fascinating, ardent music and a fitting interpretation."

Anzeiger für Harlingerland; 2 March 2006, p. 10

"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), January 2006