For 2 Haydn Concerti with RTE National Symphony Orchestra, Dublin:

Dutch cellist Pieter Wispelwey presents himself as a fearless musician. Two concertos instead of one? No problem. Leave out the conductor? That’s fine, too. And follow up the two concertos with a late night solo performance? Whatever you like.
On Friday, Wispelwey played and directed Haydn’s two cello concertos with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra. As director, he didn’t seem to do much except sit centre stage and play. But, from time to time, he leaned a bit this way or that, curved the air with a hand gesture, swivelled a little, or leant backwards and raised a foot.
The effects were immediate, and sometimes dramatic. It was as if, musically speaking, the orchestra had taken to the gym, lost a few pounds, toned up its muscles, and was in unusually lithe and responsive form...
...The internal balances were rather less competitive than is often the case when the NSO tackles 18th-century repertoire, and there was, as a consequence, a welcome increase in internal clarity.
Wispelwey treated the entire range of his instrument as if it were home territory, moving around the exposed upper reaches as freely as the fuller-toned depths. The ease of movement had a transformative effect, making passages that often seem effortful sound entirely natural....
...The result was that both soloist and orchestra seemed to have interesting things to say. Haydn was stripped of all sense of patter, the opening movement of the Second Concerto mixing impetuosity and suavity to impressive effect, and the finale showing just how turbo-charged Haydn’s cello writing can be.
Wispelwey’s late-night performance was of Bach’s Cello Suite in D minor.
The audience seemed to be gathered with a special sense of anticipation, and Wispelwey played as if for himself, allowing his listeners to eavesdrop rather than projecting the music for their benefit.
Yet, even when the music-making was at its most controversial (and there were some speeds that were very fast indeed), it was always communicatively sure.

(Irish Times 22/01/11)

For Saint-Saens with Utah Symphony Orchestra, Salt Lake City:

Pieter Wispelwey, making his Utah Symphony debut, was this weekend's soloist in Camille Saint-Saens' Cello Concerto No. 1, op. 33, easily one of the most popular and recognizable cello concertos in the repertoire. Saint-Saens had a natural facility for writing appealing melodies and this work abounds in them. It's delightful ear candy but still masterfully crafted. And Wispelwey gave a stunning performance, playing it as if it had been written for him. He played the outer sections of the work boldly (the concerto is in one movement but with three distinct sections) while infusing the slow middle section with beautifully crafted lyricism and soft expressions.

(Deseret News 6/12/10)

For the Bach Suites at Tanglewood, USA:

In a feat of endurance and concentration, cellist Pieter Wispelwey played the complete set of six Bach Cello Suites to a crowd that filled Seiji Ozawa
Wispelwey played like a rock star. As he caught the groove of the G Major Prelude he seemed to make individual eye contact with everyone, looking over his right shoulder, then out onto the lawn, then quickly casting his glance near the front of the hall.
It was not showmanship. He wanted to connect with us, to share, to fascinate us with the details of this strangely perfect music. He did no verbal introductions, no speaking at all but for one word just before his encore. Yet he articulated the narrative streak within this collection of preludes and dances, and it seemed like musical storytelling as much as a memory of dance.
The joyous G Major and C Major Suites framed the austere Second Suite in D Minor on the first half of the program. Wispelwey took an extremely flexible approach to metric flow in these first suites, often taking long breath pauses to mark phrase endings. His facility masked the digit twisting challenges of the first menuet of the D Minor Suite, and he brought a rustic sound to all three gigues.
After the first intermission each suite opened up a new sound world. The Fourth Suite in E-flat Major revealed the pleasures of a sound almost completely lacking open strings. Wispelwey articulated the large-scale rhythmic conflicts throughout this suite, bringing out syncopations, hemiolas, and, particularly in the Courante, conflicts between groupings in two and groupings in three.
He flashed a quick smile as he lifted the back of his left hand during the second measure of the Fifth Suite’s Prelude to sound an open G — he retuned the cello in the short pause between suites, lowering the highest string by a whole step.
This scordatura tuning — an alternate tuning of a string instrument’s open strings — makes a significant difference in sound, particularly in the fugue and the first Gavotte where open strings help shape ideas. Wispelwey played the Sarabande in ghostly non-vibrato anchored by that ringing open G.
The Sixth Suite closed the event with glittering high register playing that Wispelwey made into a culmination. In a surprising move he played only the melody of the D Major Sarabande, playing the chords as written only during the repeat. This allowed us to understand how the simple lyricism of this movement is voiced through struggle and complexity.
The concert ended with a rousing standing ovation. On the third call, Wispelwey returned for an encore and spoke the only word of the evening: “Seven.’’ Folks chuckled, and to make up for a seventh suite that does not exist, Wispelwey played the First Suite’s prelude to bring us back home again.

The Boston Globe. 24th July 2010. Jeffrey Johnson

For Beethoven Sonatas and Variations with Alexander Melnikov in Seoul Arts Centre:

'The standing ovation did not stop after the two left stage at the end of sonata no.3 and so Wispelwey returned to play an encore. He first played a section from a variation written by Beethoven on theme of <A Girl or A Woman> from ‘The Magic Flute’, and then a 30 minute-long autograph session. The concert began at 7 in the evening, but the night ended at 11. It was indeed a heart-warming ‘cello marathon’ complete with the performer’s grasp over the score, a certain characteristic in playing a modern and Baroque instrument, and sincerity towards the audience and fans present at the concert.'

Sung-Hyun Kim Chosun Daily September 29 2008

For the Dvorak in The Royal Festival Hall in London with Budapest Festival Orchestra and Ivan Fischer:

"'Epic" is not a term we usually associate with this concerto, for which grace, charm and a relaxed tameness have become the norms in performance. But Dvorák was an international star at the time of composition, and Fischer and his soloist, Pieter Wispelwey, brought out the grandeur in this music, without losing sight of its poetry. The great melody that forms the second subject of the first movement was noble and nostalgic, while the finale blended arrogance with excitement. Wispelwey thinks in terms of span as well as detail, and the dividends were enormous. With Fischer at his most incisive, the orchestral sound was turbulent and beguiling - in short, a terrific interpretation that changed the way we think about the piece itself.'

Tim Ashley The Guardian June 10 2008

For the Tchaikovsky with The Dallas Symphony Orchestra:

Dutch cellist Pieter Wispelwey gave a bold, frisky account of the Tchaikovsky Rococo Variations.... big tone and big personality more than carried the day. The orchestra played as if having a great time.

Dallas News March 14 2008

For the Walton cello concerto:

“Peter Wispelwey’s performance was magical for its mercurial charm, lightness and inventiveness, and his sound in the cadenza had crisp freshness and the transparency of colour which comes from immaculate intonation.”
Peter McCallum, Sydney Morning Herald, 03 August 2007

'“His winning mix of strength and sensitivity penetrated to the heart of this elusive work. Wispelwey’s rich sostenuto and expressive phrasing realised the dominant mood melancholic lyricism while showy bravura passages benefited from dazzlingly virtuosic passagework.”
Murray Black, The Australian, 03 August 2007

and for the Schumann concerto with The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra:

'"Playing with an enchanting tonal meld of sweetness and strength, Pieter Wispelwey literally took to heart the...Schumann Cello Concerto in A minor op129."

Elizabeth Silsbury, The Advertiser, 15 August 2007

Anthony Tommasini - The New York Times October 2006

'For those who wanted even more Beethoven.....Lincoln Center offered another marathon of that composer's works on sunday afternoon.  At Alice Tully Hall the dynamic Dutch cellist Pieter Wispelwey and his regular partner, the nimble-fingered Dejan Lazic, played Beethoven's complete works for cello and piano:five sonatas and three sets of variations....Still these exceptional musicians, whose compelling recording of these Beethoven works was released last year by Channel Classics, had no trouble filling the hall...Mr Wispelwey and Mr Lazic brought risk-taking adventurousness to all of these experimental sonatas.  Mr Wispelwey's playing was full of vivid contrasts.  One moment he shaped plaintive lyrical lines with almost no vibrato; the next he dug into the strings, producing gritty sounds, incisive attacks and blurry outbursts of energy.  Yet every gesture seemed driven by musical insight.....The performers lost some of their listeners during the second intermission but most stayed to the end and awarded the duo a prolonged standing ovation.'