VC VOX POP | “If You Could Only Play 3 Pieces for the Rest of Your Life, What Would They Be?” [Q&A]

The Violin Channel recently caught up with 30+ of the world’s top string players to find out …

“If you could only play 3 pieces for the rest of your life, what would they be?”

The Violin Channel recently caught up with 30+ of the world’s top string players to find out …

Violin Virtuoso Itzhak Perlman:

"Beethoven Violin Concerto ... Brahms Second Symphony ... Brahms Clarinet Quintet"

British Cello Soloist Steven Isserlis:

“Oy vey - what a cruel thought .... Am I allowed ALL the Beethoven sonatas plus the Schumann and Dvorak concertos? .... But then - what about the Faure sonatas and piano trio ... the Haydn concertos ... the Schumann trios ....I think I’d just end it all …”

Canadian Violin Soloist James Ehnes:

“Mendelssohn Concerto ... Bach D Minor partita .... and probably one of the Beethoven Quartets ... Maybe 132 ...”

Italian-German Soloist, VC Artist Violinist Augustin Hadelich:

“I would be miserable playing only 3 pieces ... regardless of how good they are ... but if I was forced to do it, it would be Brahms Concerto ... Bach Sonatas and Partitas ... and Schubert Cello Quintet ... ”

Korean-American Violin Soloist Sarah Chang:

“Brahms Concerto ... Shostakovich 1st Concerto .... and anything and everything Bach ... ”

Australian Soloist, VC Artist Violinist Ray Chen:

“Bach Chaconne ... Shostakovich Violin Concerto No. 1 ... Beethoven Violin Concerto ... "

VC Artist Dover Quartet 1st Violinist Joel Link: 

"At the moment  I would say .... Schubert's Cello Quintet .... Bach's Sonatas and Partitas .... and Beethoven's Op. 130 with the Grosse Fugue ..."

American Cellist & The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Co-Artistic Director David Finckel:

“Brahms concerto .... Franck Sonata ... Ravel Piano Trio ..."

Canadian Violin Soloist Lara St. John:

“Well, I'd jump off a cliff if that became the case .... to me, boredom is worse than death and I try to avoid both ..."

VC Young Artist Violist Timothy Ridout:

“Mozart Sinfonia Concertante ... Brahms Viola Sonata ... impossible to decide with one .... and Mozart Divertimento in E flat ... "

VC Rising Star Violinist Johan Dalene:

“Brahms Violin Sonata no 1 ... Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto ... Mendelssohn Octet”

Czech Philharmonic Concertmaster, VC Artist Josef Spacek:

“Beethoven Violin concerto .... Bach 'Chaconne' .... and Dvorak Cello Concerto”

Emerson String Quartet Violinist, Philip Setzer:

“Schubert Cello Quintet .... and Beethoven String Quartets Op. 131 and Op. 132 ... ”

VC Artist Attacca Quartet Cellist, Andrew Yee:

"Beethoven String Quartet op 131 ... Haydn Seven Last Words .... and screw you for making me choose ...."

VC Young Artist Cellist Zlatomir Fung:

“Bach Cello Suite Number 5 .... Poulenc Cello Sonata .... and the Mendelssohn Song without Words opus 109!"

VC Young Artist Violinist Richard Lin:

“Brahms Violin Concerto .... Bruch Scottish Fantasy ... Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto...”

VC Artist Violinist Nikki Chooi:

“Beethoven, Sibelius and Barber Violin Concertos ... ”

Dallas Symphony Concertmaster, Alexander Kerr:

"Wow ... That's a tough question! ... If I would have to pick three individual pieces ... Bach's St. Matthew Passion ... Brahms' Fourth Symphony ... and Beethoven's Quartet Op. 135 ... "

New York Philharmonic Principal Cellist, Carter Brey:

"Impossible to say ... "

American Soloist, VC Artist Violinist Stefan Jackiw:

“Beethoven Op. 131 Quartet ... Ives Violin Sonata No. 1 ... and Schumann Dichterliebe ... sung in the shower ... "

TwoSet Violinist, Eddy Chen:

"Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto ... Mozart Violin Concerto 5 ... Bach Solo Sonata No.1 ..."

TwoSet Violinist, Brett Yang:

“Andante from Bach's Solo Sonata No.2  ... Brahms Hungarian Dance No. 5 and .... Paganini Jingle Bells ... there’s going to be Christmas every year ... "

VC Artist Violinist Angelo Xiang Yu:

“Beethoven Violin Concerto ... Brahms Clarinet Quintet ... Schubert String Quartet in G major”

Russian-American Violin Soloist Philippe Quint:

"Beethoven Violin Concerto ... Sibelius Violin Concerto and Brahms Violin Concerto ... I would feel very fulfilled with those 3 ..."

English Violinist Tasmin Little:

“Brahms Violin Concerto ... Franck Sonata and Ravel Piano Trio ..."

Dutch Violin Soloist Simone Lamsma:

"That is so hard ... to play ... Schubert String Quintet ... Bach Chaconne ... and .... Beethoven Violin Concerto .... and to listen to .... Strauss 4 Letzte Lieder ... Mahler 9 ... and Schubert String Quintet"

Violinist & Fashion Model Filip Pogady:

“Bach Solo Partita No.2 ... Beethoven Violin Concerto ... and Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto ..."

London Symphony Orchestra First Violinist “Queen of Bling” Maxine Kwok-Adams:

"Mahler's 9th Symphony ... Strauss - Don Juan  ... but not in an audition situation though ... and Prokoviev's 5th Symphony ...”

VC Young Artist Francisco Fullana:

"Mozart Divertimento ... Brahms Violin Concerto ... and Schubert's Death and the Maiden ..."