Raphael Wallfisch
Cellist Raphael Wallfisch has a large repertory, especially strong on British composers, but not at all limited to them. He has made numerous recordings for Chandos and other labels.
Wallfisch was born in London on June 15, 1953. His father, Peter Wallfisch, was a pianist, and his mother, Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, was a notable cellist. Raphael began his musical studies on the violin and piano but switched to the cello at eight after hearing a concert by cellist Zara Nelsova. Wallfisch studied as a teen with Amaryllis Fleming and for a year with Amadeo Baldovino in Italy. He attended the Royal Academy of Music from 1970 to 1973, studying with Derek Simpson. Wallfisch moved to California for further studies with Gregor Piatigorsky, who arranged for him to perform in private recitals with violinist Jascha Heifetz. In 1977, Wallfisch took first prize at the Gaspar Cassadó International Cello Competition in Florence, Italy, and soon after that, he launched what quickly became an international career. In the 1980s and early '90s, he played in a duet with his father, Peter. Wallfisch's recording career began in the LP era on the Chandos label; among his early albums was a 1982 release devoted to Samuel Barber's Cello Concerto and Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No. 1 in E flat major, Op. 107.
Wallfisch's concert career has been international. He has appeared with virtually all of the major British orchestras and on the European continent with such major ensembles as the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, and the Bergen Philharmonic. He has performed in the U.S. with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Minnesota Orchestra and farther abroad with the Sydney Symphony, New Zealand Symphony, and Singapore Symphony, as well as other groups. Wallfisch performs as part of the Amici della Musica, which he founded, and the Trio Shaham Erez Wallfisch with Hagai Shaham (violin) and Arnon Erez (piano); the latter group performed the complete Beethoven trios at Wigmore Hall in 2020. In addition to Chandos, he has recorded for Naxos (a complete cycle of the Vivaldi cello concertos), Nimbus, CPO, and many other labels. Wallfisch often performs at the Jewish Museum in Berlin and has recorded a series of works by Jewish refugee composers, "Voices in the Wilderness," for CPO. In 2023, he released the album Jonathan Dove: In Exile on Lyrita with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and baritone Simon Keenlyside. By that time, his catalog comprised some 100 recordings.
© James Manheim /TiVo
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Symphonie pour violoncelle et orchestre op. 68 & Death in Venice (suite) op. 88
Raphael Wallfisch, English Chamber Orchestra, Steuart Bedford
Concertos - Released by Chandos on 1 Nov 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Poulenc: Sonata for Cello and Piano; Sonata for 2 Pianos; Suite française; Sérénade
Raphael Wallfisch, John York, York 2
Classical - Released by Decca (UMO) on 1 Jan 2005
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James MacMillan: Kiss On Wood
Raphael Wallfisch, John York, The Nash Ensemble
Classical - Released by Decca (UMO) on 1 Jan 2000
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Julius Klengel & Others: Cello Works
Classical - Released by Cello Classics on 4 Feb 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Double Concerto for Violin and Cello - Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1
Neeme Järvi, London Symphony Orchestra, Lydia Mordkovitch, Raphael Wallfisch
Concertos - Released by Chandos on 1 Mar 1989
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Prokofiev: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 2
Peter Donohoe, Raphael Wallfisch
Classical - Released by SOMM Recordings on 1 Aug 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Symphonie n° 2 - Romance pour violoncelle & orchestre - 6 Mélodies
The Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Raphael Wallfisch, Eileen Hulse, Neeme Järvi
Concertos - Released by Chandos on 1 Sep 2004
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Raphael Wallfisch plays British Cello Concertos
Concertos - Released by Chandos on 1 May 2016
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Hungarian Cello Concertos
Classical - Released by Nimbus Records on 1 Mar 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sonates pour violoncelle
Chamber Music - Released by Marco-Polo on 1 Jan 1994
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Britten: Cello Symphony & Death in Venice Suite
Steuart Bedford, English Chamber Orchestra, Raphael Wallfisch
Symphonies - Released by Chandos on 1 May 1985
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Chamber Works
Raphael Wallfisch, Yuko Inoue, John York
Chamber Music - Released by Cello Classics on 1 Mar 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Piano Trios Vol. 1
Hagaï Shaham, Arnon Erez, Raphael Wallfisch
Chamber Music - Released by Nimbus Records on 6 Sep 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Cello Sonatas
Chamber Music - Released by Nimbus Records on 4 Jan 2019
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Bax: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, Cello Concerto & Morning Song (Maytime in Sussex)
Bryden Thomson, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Lydia Mordkovitch, Raphael Wallfisch, Margaret Fingerhut
Concertos - Released by Chandos on 1 Sep 2003
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Cooke: 3 String Sonatas
Susanne Stanzeleit, Morgan Goff, Raphael Wallfisch, Raphael Terroni
Chamber Music - Released by Naxos on 1 Sep 2009
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Concerto pour violon - Concerto pour violoncelle
Lydia Mordkovitch, Raphael Wallfisch, The Royal Scottish National Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Neeme Järvi, Bryden Thomson
Concertos - Released by Chandos on 1 Apr 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Blackford: Blewbury Air
Raphael Wallfisch, Adrian Farmer
Chamber Music - Released by Nimbus Alliance on 4 Sep 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Weber, Spohr, Reicha & Danzi: Works for Cello and Orchestra
Classical - Released by Nimbus Records on 18 Feb 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Hindemith: Cello Concerto & The Four Temperaments
Yan Pascal Tortelier, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Howard Shelley, Raphael Wallfisch
Concertos - Released by Chandos on 1 Oct 1992
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Prokofiev: Sinfonia Concertante & Romeo and Juliet Suite No. 3
Neeme Järvi, The Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Raphael Wallfisch
Symphonies - Released by Chandos on 1 Mar 1987
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo