SELECTED REVIEWS
NEWS & PRESS
Hufvudstadsbladet
Den gränslöse Bach i innovativ nytappning
Guldkanten på det hela sätts av Christian Svarfvars bländade tonfagra, mångfasetterat uttrycksfulla och emotionellt inlevelsefulla spel, som inte lämnar något övrigt kvar att önska. Ensemblen ur London Philharmonic Orchestra spelar som om detta var dess primära syssla och ljudbilden är oklanderlig.
MATS LILJEROOS
MUSIKKRITIKER, HUFVUDSTADSBLADET
Dagens Nyheter
Uppdaterad Bach blir organisk i Christian Svarfvars händer
- Martin Nyström njuter av en naturgiven dubbelexponering med violinisten Christian Svarfvar och London Philharmonic Orchestra.
I händerna på Svarfvar och London Philharmonic Orchestra låter det som i praktiken vore omöjligt att sammanföra faktiskt påfallande organiskt, naturgivet och flödande. Allt drivet av ett utsökt musicerande som med sitt temperament är långt ifrån den lite väl konceptuella karaktär som präglade tonsättaren Max Richters liknande omkomponering av Vivaldi för en del år sedan. Att ”Infinite Bach” redan blivit en hit på strömningstjänsterna känns självklart.
MARTIN NYSTRÖM
MUSIKKRITIKER, DAGENS NYHETER
Aftenposten
Christian Svarfvar – Infinite Bach. En svensk overraskelse dumpet ned i innboksen min i julen, nemlig denne energiske rekomponeringen av Bachs fire fiolinkonserter. Det er Johan Ullén som står for bearbeidelsen, og det svinger av den. Tenk Max Richters versjon av Vivaldis «De fire årstider», bare mørkere og mer urban. Eller Vikingur Olafssons «Bach Reworks», bare mer dansbart.
Ullén har tatt Bachs partitur og blandet inn elementer av filmmusikk, minimalisme og popestetikk, men det låter alltid mest som Bach.
Svarfvar selv spiller med magnetisk tiltrekningskraft sammen med London Philharmonic Orchestra, virtuost og heftig. Spennende saker.
MAREN ØRSTAVIK, AFTENPOSTEN
Financial Times
Svarfvar and the ever-supportive Kjekshus capture it to perfection. Impassioned one moment, reflective the next – that Svarfvar projects with particular grace. Grieg’s romantic cantabile rides on such a fluent variety of ideas that listening to all three sonatas in quick succession is pure pleasure, buoyed by Svarfvar’s fearless expression, rock-solid technique and stylistic acumen. This gifted violinist has done us – and Grieg – a big favour, and we must hear more from him.
★★★★★
ANDREW CLARKE
CHIEF MUSIC CRITIC, FINANCIAL TIMES
The Strad
Playing of finesse and sensitivity, providing the perfect sound world – warm, intimate, tonally ravishing.
Svarfvar creates the magical impression of activating his instrument by breathing over the strings rather than bowing in the traditional manner.
He floats Ravel’s golden inspiration with such a poetic intimacy and tantalizing quiescence as to have the listener hanging on his every phrase.
Svarfvar keeps everything perfectly in scale so that when he soars aloft rejoicingly into the opening Allegro’s recapitulation the effect is almost overwhelming.
An outstanding release."
JULIAN HAYLOCK, THE STRAD
Fanfare Magazine
Christian Svarfvar captures perfectly here the quiet, heartfelt nature of the Fauré First Sonata, his tone all gleaming satin, supported by rich rolling chords from Roland Pöntinen..A lovely recording!
STEVEN KRUGER
FANFARE MAGAZINE
Sydsvenskan
Känsloinlevelse, delikat frasering, övertygande drive – kort sagt: en artistisk auktoritet som imponerar.
Emotional involvement, delicate phrasing, convincing drive - in short: an artistic authority that impresses.
★★★★★
CARL HÅKAN LARSEN
SYDSVENSKAN
Svenska Dagbladet
Hans svett nästan bokstavligen kommer I kontakt med publikens tårar.
Det är alldeles magnifikt
His sweat almost literally comes into contact with the audience's tears.
It is simply magnificent.
SOFIA NYBLOM
SVENSKA DAGBLADET
Dagens Nyheter
Jag kan inte tänka mig en finare ingång till denna makalösa musiktradition. 5/5 (Aprés un reve)
(Utsedd till årets bästa skiva 2016)
MARTIN NYSTRÖM, DN
Gramophone
Christian Svarfvar muses poetically over the opening solo of the Bruch Concerto. His dreamy approach is mesmeric, in any case. His tone gleams, and the way he tugs yearningly on the leading tones draws one in. Svarfvar´s playing radiates tenderness.
GRAMOPHONE
Süeddeutsche Zeitung
Christian Svarfvar takes on this famous violin concerto with his unpretentiously elegant, yet concentrated sensual, yet sweet violin tone.
In contrast to others, Svarfvar never drives off to the pompous, he doesn´t even get into the dripping sentimental or senselessly pleasing.
HELMUT MAURÓ
SÜEDDEUTSCHE ZEITUNG
Svenska Dagbladet
Bruch played with brilliance and clarity.
Christian Svarfvar lets his sensitive glowing tone meet the classicist ideal.
Christian Svarfvar plays with clarity and technical brilliance, doesn´t miss a note and shines through in passages where other violinists usually fail.
LARS HEDBLAD
SVENSKA DAGBLADET
BBC Music Magazine
The playing is anything but routine.
Intoxicating atmosphere, delicious rubato and lovely sound
BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE
Fanfare Magazine
Christian Svarfvar captures perfectly here the quiet, heartfelt nature of the Fauré’s First Sonata, his tone all gleaming satin. Svelte Swedish musicianship and the civilized emotions of France
It made a big impact when first heard in 1877 and immediately established the composer as a chamber music giant. When performed so beautifully and seductively, you feel this way all the more.
I have fond memories from 1967 of Zino Francescatti and Robert
Cassadesus playing the sonata in person. Francescatti seemed to own the
piece. But gentle efforts here find everything in the music one could wish
for – and win the day in effortlessly real sound.
A lovely recording!
STEVEN KREUGER, Fanfare Magazine - America’s most serious journal devoted to recorded music.
Luxemburg Wort
“Musical mastership, virtuosic control and sensibility equally mastered.”
LUXEMBURG WORT
