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'The other event of the evening was the Philharmonic debut of the highly touted Dutch cellist Pieter Wispelwey, subbing for Truls Mork (who broke his leg) in the Dvorak cello concerto, with Faure's subdued "Apres un reve" as an encore. Clad in shirt sleeves with suspenders, Wispelwey strikes a workingman's pose, and he engages the orchestra without hogging the spotlight. He and Salonen were a well-matched team; they like their Dvorak lightly textured, unsentimental and with a streamlined momentum that actually made some of the music sound like Sibelius. Which is good, because this concerto can be unbearably languorous in more indulgent hands.'

Timothy Mangan, Orange County Register, May 2003

'..Dutch cellist Pieter Wispelwey was the fine soloist, technically assured, clean of attack, forcelful and declamatory rhythm. His clear, even ringing tone was a joy to hear in itself..'

Jeremy Eichler, The New York Times, 08 April 2003

'The Dutch cellist Pieter Wispelwey may not yet be well known in New York, but it is hard to imagine an introduction more personal or heroic than the one he provided this weekend by scaling two peaks of the cello literature - the complete solo suites of both Bach and Britten - in less than 24 hours. On paper it is a feat requiring brilliance, stamina and perhaps a bit of hubris. In practice Mr Wispelwey proved himself impressively up to the challenge, offering performances as eloquent as they were provocative.'

Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 21 April 2003

'His playing is physical first and intellectual second, which is ultimately the way to go. Whether singing, dancing, raging or ruminating, it mimics the contours of human gesture and speech.' To read full review click here

David Vickers, The Guardian, 04 March 2003

'Walton's Cello Concerto, featuring soloist Pieter Wispelwey, was an opportunity for the Hallé to display its luminous and ravishing quality. Jac van Steen controlled proceedings in an understated and sympathetic way. Walton's score and Wispelwey's cello made a stunning combination: sweet and lyrical in the opening Moderato, playful in the Allegro appassionato and devastatingly melancholic in the extended finale. Wispelwey seldom used strong vibrato, instead using a honey-toned, baritone-style delivery, singing lieder with subtlety and sensitivity.'
(concert Feb 27 2003, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester)

Robert Beale, Manchester Evening News, 28 February 2003
'But first was Pieter Wispelwey, a cellist making his Hallé debut whose reputation (for me, at any rate) preceded him through his brilliant recordings. He played Walton's concerto with a combination of passion and lightness of touch which are certainly what it needs for successful execution - virtues which shone in his unaccompanied Bach encore, too.'

Anne Midgette, New York Times, November 02

'Playing up this contrast between almost facile melody and forceful, stifled statement in the first movement gave the work a new dramatic line and made it the highlight of a strong concert…He showed himself a responsive and impassioned interpreter without using virtuosity for its own sake.'

John von Rhein, Chicago Tribune, Mandel Hall Recital, November 02

'Chamber music playing at this level involves something more than shared chemistry. Phrases that began at the piano as virile chords or sweeping arpeggios were absorbed by the cellist's fleet fingers and prodigious bow arm as if by osmosis. One player ceded the right of way to the other with a spontaneity that fairly crackled. After a while, you stopped hearing Wispelwey and Lazic and listened to Beethoven. Wispelwey's reputation as a "complete" cellist was borne out by these distinguished readings.'

Tim Smith, Baltimore Sun, Shriver Hall Recital, October 02

'This was playing that offered abundant virtuosity, lyrical warmth, drama and charm.'

Marek Skocza, Dziennik Zachodni, October 02

'I cannot remember any other recent soloist who has provided his audience with as much pleasure as Pieter Wispelwey. It seems as if playing the cello is more natural to him than breathing.'

Martin Parker, The Scotsman, Edinburgh Festival August 02

'This was a unique experience, its power owed entirely to Wispelwey's unwavering musicality. He saved the best for last...the final suite, No. 6 in D was delicious, the Allemande and Sarabande pure reveries of sound in space.'

General Anzeiger, 26 August 02

'Haydn's cello concerto was the highlight of the evening. Joyous, fiery playing and beautiful sound was paired with feather-light tempos and Pieter Wispelwey's sonorous cello sound. The soloist indulged his stunningly brilliant technical ability in two wonderfully crafted cadences.'

Amsterdam Duo Recital: De Telegraaf, August 02

'The beautifully realised phrases achieved a kind of elasticity, which, although it seemed like freedom, was in fact disciplined by a careful and consistent choice of tempo.'

The Scotsman, September 01

'What an awesome way to end the Festival's Bank of Scotland Queen's Hall series. Relentless, talent, imagination, grunts, groans, Beethoven's complete Cello Sonatas, and all played from memory by the astonishing Pieter Wispelwey… He was playing a concert that would not be forgotten. It was another Festival long haul that flew by with shattering immensity and potentially incredible rewards - if only our minds could keep up with the composer and his performers.'

Edinburgh Festival Duo Recital: The Herald, September 01

'Right from the start …the performances possessed a spring-heeled vitality and an ability to hold you on tenterhooks as first one instrument then the other seized the initiative. Wispelwey's cello tone was warm but never self-indulgent.'

Sydney Morning Herald, June 00

'Pieter Wispelwey, is such a cellist, whose performance is informed by a masterly technique combined with a close and intelligent scrutiny of stylistic practice. His playing suggests that he regards the suites, in one sense at least, as private territory, in which intimacy and honesty are paramount features of the landscape.'

ACO capital cities tour: The Age, Melbourne, July 97

'To say Pieter Wispelwey's music-making is ravishing is to utter an understatement of huge proportions. Monday's concert did everything to confirm him as one of the world's great cellists. As a soloist, he played like a man possessed: his face, his whole body seemed consumed by a musical spirit whose familiar is the cello.…A superb concert.'

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