Stefan-Peter Greiner is very picky about who gets to play his violins. Christian Tetzlaff plays one, but Greiner turns down about 50% of the customers seeking a spot on his waiting list. Jutta Wasserab of DW-World.de talked to the acclaimed violin maker and in this interview Greiner gives some insights into how he makes his violins, and why he turns down so many violinists who would like to own one of his rare creations.

American born Irish fiddler Eileen Ivers was in Columbus Ohio last month, and Gary Budzak of the Columbus Dispatch sat down with her for this quick interview. Ivers briefly talks about her background and her music. The article also includes a couple of audio samples of Ivers’ fiddling. The Dispatch’s Barbara Zuck reviewed the concert and wrote that “Ivers has perfected a kind of musical multitasking that only a few are interested in attempting and even fewer can master.”

Anne Akiko Meyers was in Tampa, Florida to perform Vaughn Williams’ “The Lark Ascending” with Stefan Sanderling and the Florida Orchestra. John Fleming of the St. Petersburg Times reviewed the concert and called Meyers “the most elegant violin soloist of her generation.” In his review he said “the lark has a beautiful sound, but it can’t approximate what she (Meyers) does with a Stradivarius.”  (Submitted by A.A. Townsend)

After touring the continent with the New York Philharmonic, Julia Fischer arrived in England to play the Beethoven Violin Concerto with David Zinman and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Reviewing the concert for the Times, Geoff Brown commented that “this would have been remarkable playing to achieve at any age.” Barry Millington of the Evening Standard, however, wrote in his review that he thought Fischer’s performance ultimately lacked humanity, and only provided evidence “of a more complete artist still to be revealed.”

Fischer has also been busy releasing CD’s, and David Patrick Stearns of the Philadelphia Inquirer reviews both the Tchaikovsky and Brahms releases. Her Tchaikovsky he calls “notable for its feats of subtlety”, while the Brahms “borders on being a signature piece for Fischer.” Geoff Brown reviewing the Brahms CD for the Times, notes that Fischer has “long soared beyond being labelled ‘promising’”, and she eases herself into the principal theme of the first movement “with the sweetest of sighs.”

Julia Amacher of Minnesota Public Radio reviews Fabio Biondi’s recording of rare works by Vivaldi, Carlo Monza and Giuseppe Demachi. You’ll find the transcript here, but be sure to listen to the audio clip to hear excerpts from the new CD. What was Amacher’s reaction? She thinks it was worth waiting a few hundred years to hear.

Itzhak Perlman recently spoke with Joseph Dalton of the Albany Times Union. In this interview, he discusses playing for the Queen, keeping Beethoven fresh, and his approach to teaching and conducting. Joseph Dalton also reviewed Perlman’s concert with the Albany Symphony Orchestra under David Allen Miller, calling the performance fluid and natural, but somewhat lacking in spontaneity and nuance.

In this interview with Barbara Hoffman of the New York Post, Janine Jansen explains why a strapless gown is the perfect wardrobe when playing a strad. She also discusses music and her romance with fellow violinist Julian Rachlin. She was in New York to play Mendelssohn with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. In his review, Jay Norlinger of the New York Sun called her playing “liquid and focused.”

Jennifer Koh played the Sibelius violin concerto in Annapolis in May with the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra. David Lindauer reviewing for The Capitol was pleasantly surprised by the unusual approach Koh took to this warhorse of the violin repertoire, and thought she brought remarkable insights to a piece he thought he thoroughly knew. In his review for the Baltimore Sun, Phil Greenfield thought that this was a performance that “imparted something special.”

Before he joins the faculty of Indiana University, Joshua Bell wrapped up his stint as Artistic Partner of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. In his final concert of the season with the SPCO, Bell led a program of Mozart, Saint Saens, Tchaikovsky, and Chausson. Michael Anthony of the Star Tribune reviewed the concert and thought Bell played with his “customarily warm, immaculately focused tone.” In his review for the Pioneer Press, Ron Hubbard called Bell “a charismatic performer who can make a trip to the concert hall a deeply rewarding experience.”

Lot’s of Leila Josefowicz news going around. First, an interview with Joel D. Amos of the North County Times in which she talks about Beethoven, new music, and what she learned growing up. Next, a review by Tim Smith of the Baltimore Sun of her performance of John Adam’s The Dharma at Big Sur. He says Josefowicz played with “exceptional technical aplomb and nuance.” Another review of the same program by Tim Page of the Washington Post said Josefowicz “wailed and moaned with meticulously controlled abandon.” Finally, this post by Charles T. Downey over at Ionarts. He called her concert at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington a wonderful Mother’s Day gift.