Ethusiastic Cellist
Andelfingen: In the cozy castle hall (outside when it rains), the audience of the concert association was able to embark on a diverse musical journey with the early Sunday evening virtuoso cellist Ana Turkalj. Since the cello is rarely performed as a solo instrument, this in itself was a rare opportunity. The artistic achievements of the Croatian with grip, plucking technique and bowing were absolutely fascinating, especially since you hardly noticed her facial expressions, only her breathing and the desire for a cloth to dry the strings pointed to her acrobatic achievements. The artist, who grew up in Vienna, impressed the audience with her unusual expressiveness and the great variety of musical styles. She has performed, among other things, cello suites by J. S. Bach and Max Reger, various dances by the Mexican Venus Rey, the Irish cellist Ailbhe McDonagh and the Spaniard Gaspar Cassadó. The sympathetic cellist said goodbye with two enthusiastically applauded encores. (Andelfingen Newspaper 2023)
SymphonyON
Soloist Ana Turkali interpreted Dvorak's cello concerto with verve, a sense of sound and emotional depth. Before that, Górecki hypnotized the enthusiastic audience with his dances for orchestra. The courageous program gave the SinfonieON never-ending applause. The audience was enthusiastic about the vital rhythms and the incessantly flowing layers of sound: the risk of daring to try something new and unknown was more than appreciated by the listeners.
After this spectacular start, Antonin Dvorak's Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra was a departure into another world. With Ana Turkalj, the SinfonieON was able to develop this musical monument with a soloist who distinguished herself through her extraordinary knowledge of the work, sensitivity and chamber music style of playing. With rousing ease and technical sovereignty, she spanned the three wide-ranging movements without losing the sense for the precious details within the big picture. For the great performance, the audience asked her to come on stage for two encores!
Rococo Variations
The performance full of sophistication, dynamics and Ana Turkalj's expressiveness gave her a standing-ovation from the audience, which clamored for an encore of the extraordinary interpreter.
"Ana Turkalj is musically versatile and stands out not only as a gifted instrumentalist on the cello and piano, but also has a recognizable sound and a special expressiveness on the cello.
Her musical sophistication and tonal variety come through colorfully in interpretations of various musical styles..."
– Götz Teutsch, principal cellist Berlin Philharmonic from 1970-1976
