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King's Hall with Aurora Orchestra
Bachtrack


June 2023
Alexander Hall

energetic freshness and robust earthiness

One of CPE Bach’s three cello concertos (which also exist in versions for flute and harpsichord) was chosen by Laura van der Heijden for her concerto appearance with Aurora Orchestra conducted by Nicholas Collon.

The A minor work is suffused with explosions of youthful spirit. With its Sturm und Drang ethos it is very much a get-up-and-go package, ideally suited to the energetic freshness and robust earthiness van der Heijden brought to the part. Her nimble agility in the final movement was especially effective in the dramatic, almost inquisitorial, exchanges between her and the 13 Aurora string players. How good also to hear the separate voice of the harpsichord, so often submerged in other performances.

CPE Bach Cello Concerto in A minor Wq170

Aurora Orchestra
Nicholas Collon, conductor

Kings Place, London

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George Walker: a composer we should be shouting about
The Times


November 2022
Rebecca Franks

just the sort of astute virtuosity this fiendish work needs

The voice he forged is utterly his own. Invigorating, intense and angular, his music lives in a realm shaped more by dissonance than consonance, but never tipping too far either way. Even in the boldest moments, there’s a sense of restraint rather than flamboyance. It’s difficult stuff too, although more so for the players than the listeners.
Keeping impressively calm and cool in the soloist’s hot seat for Movements for Cello and Orchestra (2012), Laura van der Heijden brought just the sort of astute virtuosity this fiendish work needs.

George Walker, Movements for Cello and Orchestra

BBC Symphony Orchestra
Alpesh Chauhan, conductor

George Walker – Total Immersion Day, The Barbican, London,  , CLICK HERE TO LISTEN ON BBC RADIO 3 (until 28 Dec 2022, Movements from 29’)

The Times

A superstar cellist comes out of the shadows
The Times


March 2022
Richard Morrison

a performance that let the music speak for itself

After winning the 2012 BBC Young Musician competition Laura van der Heijden slightly slipped under the radar, partly because another young British cellist became the go-to classical superstar for the chattering classes. Van der Heijden, meanwhile, completed a degree at Cambridge and quietly deepened her musicianship out of the limelight.

Still only 24, she now sounds wonderful. This performance of Walton’s Cello Concerto was by turns poised and pert, wistful and lyrical, tautly driven and expansively rhapsodic — but always played with exemplary intonation and technical finesse. Too cool, temperamentally? I relished a performance that let the music speak for itself, reserving big outbursts of emotion for the two eruptive quasi-cadenzas in the finale.

Walton, Cello Concerto

The Hallé Orchestra
Gemma New, conductor

The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester

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Concert at the Holy Child
Hastings Independent Press


June 2021
Patrick Glass

The audience were treated to an evening of startling brilliance, surprise, and enlightenment.

Max and Laura have great rapport and were clearly delighted to be there. And this was immediately communicated to the audience. The breadth and subtlety of their playing was amazing to experience – in strings, bow, and voice. They enjoy difficult challenges and live to perform and share their exceptional gifts.

Duets by Bartok, Bach, Kodaly, and Handel. This programme embraces the Baroque and the folk cultures of Eastern Europe, including songs they have arranged themselves specially for the occasion.

Max Baillie, violin
Laura van der Heijden, cello

Holy Child Church, Saint Leonards-on-sea

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Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective, Wigmore Hall review - a joyous celebration
The Arts Desk


February 2020
Jessica Duchen

A sparky, shape-shifting ensemble of starry young musicians

Nobody could deny that this was a weekend when we needed cheering up. The place for that was the Wigmore Hall, which played host to a recently formed “shape-shifting” ensemble of superb young soloists. The Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective was launched in 2017 by the violinist Elena Urioste and pianist Tom Poster (incidentally, they got married last summer). For their Wigmore Hall residency they gathered a starry team of clarinettist Mark Simpson, bassoonist Amy Harman, cellist Laura van der Hejden, horn player Alec Frank-Gemmill, violist Jean-Miguel Hernandez and double bassist Joseph Conyers.

Across two evenings the “collective” built up a range of repertoire that was, well, kaleidoscopic, mixing the rare with the beloved from duos and trios up to the Beethoven Septet and beyond. I caught the second concert; it left me wishing I’d been there for the first as well.

Mozart, Bassoon Quartet in B flat (after Bassoon Sonata K292) (arr. Iain Farrington)
Dohnányi, Sextet in C, Op.37
Beethoven, Septet in E flat, Op.20

Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective
Mark Simpson, clarinet
Amy Harman, bassoon
Elena Urioste, violin
Juan-Miguel Hernandez, viola
Joseph Conyers, double bass
Alec Frank-Gemmill, horn
Tom Poster, piano

Wigmore Hall, London

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Particularly Irresistible
Classical Music Daily


November 2019
Mike Wheeler

Laura van der Heijden sets her stamp on the solo part

Hucek was joined by Jan Czech, clarinet, in a deliciously smoky-toned account of the second movement’s opening, with Laura van der Heijden adding another layer of emotional complexity. The rich sonorities of her multiple stopping in the central cadenza carried over into her duet with principal viola Pavel Peřina. Her plangent, lamenting tone was echoed in the poignant, still episode in the midst of the finale’s bustling energy – those dance rhythms again – delivered with panache. Judging by various comments afterwards, Martinů seems to have made several new friends among the Royal Concert Hall audience.

Martinu Cello Concerto No.1

Prague Symphony Orchestra
Pietari Inkinen, conductor

Theatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham

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Czech musicians celebrate music from their homeland
Reviewsgate


November 2019
William Ruff

You wait for years for a piece by Czech composer Bohuslav Martinu...

Cellist Laura Van der Heijden (BBC Young Musician Winner 2012) and the Prague Symphony Orchestra, under their conductor Pietari Inkinen, made an eloquent case for it and managed the sometimes startling shifts of style and mood with aplomb. It starts cheerfully in a big-open-spaces epic style, flirts with jazz and Czech folk-dance before settling down in the slow movement, its emotional core. Here Laura made the cello sing of beauty and a sense of peace – before she and the orchestra plunged into the finale’s frenetic energy.

Martinu Cello Concerto No.1

Prague Symphony Orchestra
Pietari Inkinen, conductor

Theatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham

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Prague Symphony Orchestra
Ilkley Gazette & Wharfedale Observer


November 2019
Geoffrey Mogridge

The Prague Symphony Orchestra is currently touring UK concert halls under the baton of its chief conductor, the rising young Finnish star Pietari Inkinen...

Laura van der Heijden, winner of the 2012 BBC Young Musician of the Year, brought a virtuosic rhythmic vigour and achingly beautiful tenderness to the challenging solo part. Pietari Inkinen and the Prague Symphony Orchestra, with strings reduced from seven to four double basses, were impeccably balanced and responsive concerto partners.

Martinu Cello Concerto No.1

Prague Symphony Orchestra
Pietari Inkinen, conductor

St George’s Hall, Bradford

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Recreating a musical landmark for the Britten weekend
East Anglian Daily Times


November 2019
Gareth Jones

Britten and Russia, Snape Maltings

BBC Young Musician winner Laura van der Heijden gave an excellent reading of Shostakovich’s first cello concerto, engaging and witty in the outer movements but plumbing serious depths in the middle two movements. Her immaculate poise and control in the cadenza was quite exceptional.

Shostakovich Cello Concerto No.1

BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Jac van Steen, conductor

Britten Weekend: Britten & Russia, Snape Maltings Concert Hall, Snape Maltings

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BBC Philharmonic, Leeds Town Hall
Wharfedale Observer


October 2019
Geoffrey Mogridge

deeply expressive soloist


Saint-Saens’ extremely challenging demands on the soloist have made this sunny concerto a favourite of virtuosi including Casals, Rostropovich, Tortelier and Jacqueline Du Pre. Laura van der Heijden evidently relished the drama of the stormy opening section and the yearning, 
song-like central section. Her dazzling coda and the BBC Philharmonic’s felicitous accompaniment brought the concerto to a stunning conclusion.


Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto in A minor

BBC Philharmonic
Joana Carneiro, conductor

Leeds Town Hall, The Headrow

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Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time ends West Cork Chamber Music Festival in style
Bachtrack


July 2019
Michael Roddy

A phenomenal programme, beautifully played and delivered, in a stunning place.

Van der Heijden proved herself to be the sister of soul on the cello for the second night in succession. Having brought proceedings to a near standstill with a stunning performance in the third movement of the Brahms Piano Quartet no. 3 in C minor on Saturday, she again squeezed every drop of beauty from Messiaen’s fifth movement duo for cello and piano that is meant to evoke the eternity of Jesus.

Messiaen, Quatuor pour la Fin du Temps

Mate Bekavac, clarinet
Henning Kraggerud, violin
Alexei Grynyuk, piano

West Cork Chamber Music Festival 2019, Bantry House, West Cork

Bachtrack

Halle Orchestra starts new Sheffield concert season in style
The Star


October 2018
Julia Armstrong

The Sheffield International Concert Season opened in style with a night of gorgeous music from the Halle and guest cellist Laura van der Heijden.

The interplay between the orchestra and the performer showed a beautiful sympathy for the moving work and Laura van der Heijden’s playing was wonderfully expressive and assured with a lightness and delicacy of touch.

Dvorak Cello Concerto

The Hallé Orchestra
Karl-Heinz Steffens, conductor

Sheffield City Hall, Sheffield

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BBC Proms classical music brand sure to be a hit
The Australian


April 2016
Eamonn Kelly

Laura van der Heijden, the BBC Young Musician for 2012, embraced the pathos and sudden contrasts of Saint-Saens’s Cello Concerto No 1

At 19, van der Heijden reveals exceptional maturity. The Saint-Saens often suffers maltreatment, cellists slashing through tempests, then saturating delicate asides with ostentatious phrasing. Van der Heijden was having none of that, the beauty and clarity of her tone, even and sensitively weighted bow contact, and an unlaboured expressive palette making for an elegant performance. She gave fiendish double stops, harmonics and upper-register climbs the rare honour of being treated as musical ideas rather than tricks, making sense of what is generally rendered as acoustic porridge.

Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto in A minor

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Sir Andrew Davis, conductor

Hamer Hall, Melbourne Arts Centre, Melbourne, Australia

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Berlioz's fantastic passions gets the Australian franchise of the BBC Proms off to a solid start.
Limelight


April 2016
Maxim Boon

tremendously charismatic performer

Things improved markedly with the second piece of the evening, featuring British-Scandinavian wunderkind Laura van der Heijden performing Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor. At just 19, this tremendously charismatic performer displayed a confidence and artistry far greater than her years, delivering a rich, treacly tone warmed with a robust vibrato. This relatively short, single-movement work is not often considered among the greatest cello concerti, but in the hands of musicians of this calibre, it is most definitely worthy of a performance.

It may lack the heft and technical virtuosity of more popular works, such as the cello concerti of Elgar and Dvořák, but there is an elegance and a bright, buoyant wit in this music, wonderfully illuminated here by the MSO under the baton of Sir Andrew Davis. One of this maestro’s most incisive qualities is his understanding of emotional intention, and here the shifting character of this music was astutely observed. From the strident drama of the opening Allegro to the delicate, heart-warming simplicity of the central Allegretto and through the fever-pitched finale, each section was given its own space to communicate, thanks to the combination of van der Heijden’s impressive skill and Davis’s attention to detail.

Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto in A minor

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Sir Andrew Davis, conductor

Hamer Hall, Melbourne Arts Centre, Melbourne, Australia

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Walton Cello Concerto
The Strad


January 2013
Joanne Talbot

evoking poignant emotions

Laura van der Heijden – the 15-year-old winner of numerous musical prizes – may well be the UK’s answer to Sol Gabetta. A pupil of Leonid Gorokhov, she was commanding both musically and technically in Walton’s Cello Concerto, the work with which she won the 2012 BBC Young Musician of the Year competition.

In the scherzo, van der Heijden generated an exciting rhythmic energy in the motivic writing, but she was perhaps most impressive in the finale’s solo cadenza, where she drew well-voiced lines and a compelling narrative.

Walton Cello Concerto

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Paul Daniel, conductor

Cadogan Hall, London

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Travels with a cello: Laura van der Heijden touches down in Sheffield
Bachtrack


December 2019
Steve Draper

Unleashed from the shackles of academia – apologies to St John’s College Cambridge – Laura van der Heijden has launched herself into a hectic performing schedule.

Van der Heijden spoke of her sympathy with the range of emotions in Britten’s Cello Sonata; the first movement posed unanswerable questions, she said, then responded with outbursts of frustration. Piano and cello were balanced here in the chaos of emotions and technical challenges were effortlessly overcome. Likewise in the difficult guitar-like pizzicato chords of the Scherzo. Balance and clarity were again on show in the huge range of dynamics of the third movement which died away into high harmonics beautifully. The Marcia which followed was nicely sarcastic, and the final irregularly spaced moto perpetuo gave Poster a chance to be a showman too.

Bach, Gamba Sonata No.1, BWV 1027
Britten, Sonata for Cello and Piano in C, Op.65
Nadia Boulanger, 3 Pieces for Cello and Piano
Brahms, Sonata for Cello and Piano No.1 in E minor, Op.38

Tom Poster, piano

Music in the Round, Upper Chapel, Sheffield

read the review

Music at Paxton
Seen and Heard International


July 2019
Michael Cookson

The audience was royally treated

Jumping forward some two hundred and twenty or so years we heard Britten’s Cello Sonata from 1961 written for his friend Mstislav Rostropovich. A stark contrast to the J.S. Bach, Van der Heijden and Poster revelled in the spikier rhythms and often austere soundworld of Britten’s score and I must single out the third movement Elegia (Lento) for the aching sense of reflection the players perceptively created.

Bach, Gamba Sonata No.1, BWV 1027
Britten, Sonata for Cello and Piano in C, Op.65
Nadia Boulanger, 3 Pieces for Cello and Piano
Brahms, Sonata for Cello and Piano No.1 in E minor, Op.38

Tom Poster, piano

Music at Paxton, Picture Gallery, Paxton House, Berwick-upon-Tweed

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Lammermuir Festival Opening Weekend
The Scotsman


September 2018
David Kettle

Cathedrals of sound

Nevertheless, it was a magisterial performance, full of sonic splendour, with the BBC SSO players on exceptional form. They were utterly convincing, too, before the interval as a far more intimate ensemble for Haydn’s C major Cello Concerto, with 2012 BBC Young Musician winner Laura van der Heijden as soloist. She gave a sprightly, impeccably phrased account, as muscular as it was lyrical – even if her sometimes rather liberal tempo fluctuations threatened to drag back Steffens’s brisk pace at times.

Haydn Cello Concerto in C

BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Karl-Heinz Steffens, conductor

Lammermuir Festival, St Mary’s Parish Church, Haddington

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Lammermuir Festival
The Herald


September 2018
Keith Bruce

BBC SSO, St Mary's Church, Haddington

Its Adagio second movement in particular contains some of the composer’s most melodious writing, while the sparing use of the winds in the finale is quintessential Haydn, with the chamber-sized SSO strings in perfect balance with the soloist throughout, under Steffens’s attentive direction. The soloist’s relaxed, elegant poise on the cadenzas at the end of the first two movements demonstrated a musical maturity well beyond her years.

Haydn Cello Concerto in C

BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Karl-Heinz Steffens, conductor

Lammermuir Festival, St Mary’s Parish Church, Haddington

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Lunchtime Series:
Laura van der Heijden,
Petr Limonov
leicesterconcertgoerdiary.com


January 2018
leicesterconcertgoerdiary.com

cello playing worthy of being called aristocratic so entirely musical was it

Yet what most impressed

was the amount of shimmering crystalline sound conjured from the piano at its quieter moments

Laura van der Heijden’s range of expressive tone and dynamics seemed to me simply breathtaking. In the early Webern and in the Lyadov the cello sang with a thrilling purity. This was warmth without any blowsiness and in the parts of the sonata where Prokofiev’s rich lyricism was to the fore we were back in the world of the ballet Romeo and Juliet. Yet she could also find so many other colours in the cello, astringency at times in the Schnittke and throughout where necessary a light and nimble fingering which made the cello sound almost skittish and dance-like.

Schnittke, Suite in the Old Style
Webern, 2 Pieces for Cello and Piano
Webern, 3 kleine Stücke, Op.11
Lyadov, Prelude No.1 in B minor, Op.11
Prokofiev, Sonata for Cello and Piano in C, Op.119

Petr Limonov, piano

Leicester International Music Festival, New Walk Museum and Art Gallery, Leicester

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Laura Van Der Heijden (cello) & Martin Roscoe (piano)
Cockermouth Music Society


September 2017
Susan Allison

a triumph in every way

Chopin’s Cello Sonata Op.68, which was played with breathtaking beauty, exquisite sound from the cellist at all times, with the pianist expertly managing the difficult piano part.

we listened to Laura’s wonderful interpretation of the nuances of the music and felt we had learnt something we hadn’t known before.

Schubert, Sonatina for Violin & Piano in D, D.384
Chopin, Sonata for Piano and Cello in G minor, Op.65
Webern, 2 Pieces for Cello and Piano
Webern, 3 kleine Stücke, Op.11
Shostakovich, Sonata for Viola and Piano Op.147, arr. for cello by Daniil Shafran

Martin Roscoe, piano

United Reformed Church, Cockermouth

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Holywell Music Room:
Martyn Jackson (violin),
Laura van der Heijden (cello),
Petr Limonov (piano)
dailyinfo.co.uk


July 2017
Andrew Bell

Merry camaraderie as a trio

a yearning melody took over at a swaying, barcarolle-like rhythm, followed by emphatic, almost didactic chords from Martyn Jackson’s crisp violin and Laura van der Heijden’s cello, accompanied by rippling, right-hand piano scales from Petr Limonov that gradually grew in intensity; very recognisably related to those in the ‘Trout’ Quintet. Both works were composed on summer holidays in rural Austria, though in different regions of the country. The three instruments blended seamlessly;

Schubert, Notturno in E flat, Op.148 (D.897)
Schubert, Piano Trio No.1 in B flat

Peter Limonov, piano
Martyn Jackson, violin

Holywell Music Room, Oxford

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Haywards Heath Music Society marks a milestone
Mid Sussex Times


May 2017
Mike Lavelle

consummate musicianship

Laura van der Heijden (cello) and Tom Poster(piano) gave us an outstanding concert. Within a few minutes of the opening of the Debussy cello sonata it was obvious that these two extremely talented and sensitive musicians were at one with each other.

Debussy, Cello Sonata (1915)
Schumann, Three Romances, Op.94
Martinu, Variations on a Theme by Rossini
Graham Fitkin, «L»
Fauré, Cello Sonata No.2 in G minor, Op.117

Tom Poster, piano

Haywards Heath Music Society, Haywards Heath

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Star cellist guests in Endellion String Quartet’s evening of ‘superb musicianship’ at West Road Concert Hall
Cambridge News


April 2017
John Gilroy

BBC Young Musician, Laura van der Heijden displays her ‘wonderful expressiveness’

something of a revelation in Arensky’s beautiful, quasi-symphonic and deeply Russian work, drawing on native liturgical traditions and patriotic folk melodies to provide his moving elegiac tribute to Tchaikovsky who had died a year previously.

Arensky, String Quartet No.2 in A minor, Op.35

Endellion String Quartet

West Road Concert Hall, Cambridge

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REVIEW: Young cellist performing in Huddersfield hailed as a 'young Jacqueline Du Pré'
Huddersfield Examiner


March 2017
Chris Robins

But our reviewer thinks Laura van der Heijden is even better

Van der Heijden is expressive but controlled and by not going over the top she finds extra emotion and intensity. She has a sustained sweet, dark tone and is a mistress of colour, knowing exactly when to pump up or ease down vibrato. Everything she plays is unforced, clear and beautiful.

Debussy, Cello Sonata (1915)
Schumann, Three Romances, Op.94
Martinu, Variations on a Theme by Rossini
Graham Fitkin, «L»
Fauré, Cello Sonata No.2 in G minor, Op.117

Tom Poster, piano

Huddersfield Music Society, Huddersfield

read the full review

Last Night of the Shakespeare Proms
Stratford Herald


August 2016
Peter Buckroyd

Magnificent

But the highlight was a stunning performance of Elgar’s Concerto for Cello and Orchestra played by the brilliant young cellist Laura van der Heijden. Her Concerto was a long way from the melancholy and somewhat lugubrious performances often heard.

Van der Heijden’s playing sounded simple. It was always reflective rather than self-indulgent. There was never passion for passion’s sake. In the end the piece was not sad but triumphant and forward-looking. Magnificent.

Elgar Cello Concerto

Orchestra of the Swan
David Curtis, conductor

Stratford ArtsHouse, Stratford

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Tom Poster and friends
Music Nairn


June 2016
D James Ross

An Evening of Delights

the immensely powerful performance it (Dohnányi quintet) received at their skilled hands more than vindicated the ambitious project.

sent us all home with a shimmy in our step.

Schumann, Piano Quintet in E-flat, Op.44
Dohnányi, Piano Quintet No.1 in C minor, Op.1

Tom Poster, piano
Elena Urioste, violin
Savitri Grier, violin
Rosie Ventris, viola

Community & Arts Centre, Nairn

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BBC Young Musician of the Year Laura van der Heijden performs solo at Maidstone Symphony Orchestra concert
KentOnline


December 2015
Dr. Brian Hick

A splendid evening

her approach has deepened and gained even more captivating warmth. She brought a joyous spontaneity to the second movement and led us through the more introvert solo passages of the final movement with ease and conviction.

Walton Cello Concerto

Maidstone Symphony Orchestra
Brian Wright, conductor

Maidstone

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Review: Laura van der Heijden & Alison Rhind
Darlington & Stockton Times


October 2015
Peter Bevan

beautifully sonorous playing and utmost tenderness

a lovely mix of the delicate and the sweeping with pianist and cellist demonstrating a tremendous unanimity throughout.

Glinka, Viola Sonata in D minor
Schubert, Arpeggione Sonata in A minor D821
James MacMillan, Kiss on Wood
Rachmaninov, Two Pieces for Cello and Piano, Op. 2
Beethoven, Cello Sonata No.3 in A, Op.69

Alison Rhind, piano

St Oswald’s Parish Church, Sowerby

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Musical magic was in the air
Cockermouth Music Society


October 2015
Susan Allison

one of the best musical experiences I have ever had

both players gave such a wonderful account of beautiful music, so demanding and yet so satisfying in every way, that it brought tears to my eyes. Laura is a consummate artist who makes the cello sing as soon as she touches it, encompasses every twist and turn of the music with apparent ease and when matched by an accompanist of the calibre of Alison Rhind, produced a night of music-making long to remain in the memory.

Schnittke, Suite in the Old Style
Beethoven, Cello Sonata No.3 in A, Op.69
James MacMillan, Kiss on Wood
Rachmaninov, Cello Sonata in G minor, Op.19

Alison Rhind, piano

United Reformed Church, Cockermouth

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Review: Laura van der Heijden and Tom Poster
Music Nairn


October 2015
John Bell

SUPERB MUSICAL EVENING WITH MUSIC NAIRN

Together they gave a virtuoso duo performance of cello sonatas, cleverly arranged to enable both musicians to exhibit their superb individual musical skills.

this was a musical evening to remember. The rapport and musical communication between these two now internationally renowned performers was remarkable,

Glinka, Viola Sonata in D minor
Beethoven, Cello Sonata No.3 in A, Op.69
James MacMillan, Kiss on Wood
Rachmaninov, Cello Sonata in G minor, Op.19

Tom Poster, piano

Nairn Community & Arts Centre, Nairn

read the review

Brillant récital au violoncelle Laura Van Der Heijden
Nice Matin


May 2015
Nice Matin

À tout juste 17 ans la virtuose batave a époustouflé le public

Mais quelle beauté de l’expression! Celle-ci devait trouver toute sa plénitude dans le « Prélude et Danse orientale » pour violoncelle et piano op.2 et surtout dans l’immense chef-d’œuvre qu’est la « Sonate pour violoncelle et piano en sol mineur op.19 » de Serge Rachmaninov.

L’intensité expressive du jeu de Laura van der Heijden, son engagement, sa virtuosité constamment au service d’une musicalité hors du commun, achevèrent de conquérir un public enthousiaste. Il faut dire que la violoncelliste avait en Alison Rhind (piano) une partenaire de haute volée et de grand talent, particulièrement dans les parties redoutables de piano de Rachmaninov.

Schnittke, Suite in the Old Style
Schubert, Arpeggione Sonata in A minor D821
Rachmaninov, Two Pieces for Cello and Piano, Op.2
Rachmaninov, Cello Sonata in G minor, Op.19

Alison Rhind, piano

Théâtre des Variétés, Monaco

read the review

Spring Awakenings Concert
Worthing Herald


March 2015
Richard Amey

She made her cello growl and grumble, sneer and shudder, and sing angular songs of melancholy and defiance, death-wish and life-grasp.

she took the audience progressively deeper into Shostakovich’s world of desperate high spirits in the first movement, to introverted retreat and loneliness in the second, to a soliloquy of despair and disbelief that became a nightmare of frustration and injustice in its movement-long cadenza.

Shostakovich Cello Concerto No.1

Worthing Symphony Orchestra
John Gibbons, conductor

Assembly Hall, Worthing

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Autograph Concert
The Argus


January 2015
Conrad Brunner

It felt as if the lights had been switched on, and the lively melody of the (Arpeggione) Allegro moderato and the sweet longing of the Adagio were the highlights of this outstanding performance.

Beethoven, Cello Sonata No.4 in C, Op.102 No.1
Schubert, Arpeggione Sonata in A minor, D821
Graham Fitkin, L
Poulenc, Sonata for Cello and Piano

Tom Poster, piano

Great Hall, Brighton College

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Laura's concert triumph
Colchester Gazette


November 2014
Liz Leatherdale

a most mature performance of this emotionally demanding work

The highlight was Laura van der Heijden playing the achingly-beautiful Cello Concerto

Elgar Cello Concerto

Colchester Symphony Orchestra
Chris Phelps, conductor

St Botolphs Church, Colchester

read the review

A team to be proud of
horshamsymphony.org


March 2014
John Sherlock

On Sunday afternoon, at The Capitol, I found myself sitting next to an 11 year old cellist. Her reaction to Laura van der Heijden’s playing was “she’s good”. The understatement of the year? Laura is the complete performer – from the moment she strides into the platform you know you are about to enjoy a stunning performance. She gave us Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations – in which she made the cello ‘sing’ – and Dvořák’s Rondo – displaying virtuosity as well as lyricism.

Tchaikovsky Rococo Variations
Dvorak Rondo Op. 94

Horsham Symphony Orchestra
Steve Dummer, conductor

Horsham

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Classical Review: Laura van der Heijden, Peebles
The Scotsman


February 2014
Ken Walton

first Scottish appearance

a compelling sense of equilibrium, interaction and empathy. Truly a duo performance.

They then explored the more extensive emotional realms of Brahms’ Sonata in D major (better known in its G major version for violin and piano) with equal poise and perspicacity, its warm, lyrical melodies given effortless fluidity in this luminous, multi-shaded performance.

Beethoven, 12 Variations in G, WoO 45
Brahms, Sonata in D, Op.78
Schnittke, Suite in the Old Style
Britten, Cello Sonata Op. 65 in C major

Mana Oguchi, piano

Eastgate Theatre, Peebles

read the full review

Young musician Laura van der Heijden with Sinfonia Classica
North Devon Journal


February 2014
Richard Westcott

The drawing power of the winner of the BBC’s Young Musician of the Year 2012 is not to be underestimated – many were the awe-struck comments about the formidable abilities of such a young soloist by members of the approving audience.

Her reading of the much-loved Haydn Concerto was as fresh as – the concert series being titled in Tune With Nature – a snowdrop. The rich tone and technical assuredness, combined with that refreshing impression of newness, total lack of any trace of sentimentality and yes, her youth, all contributed to a thoroughly enjoyable performance.

Haydn Cello Concerto in C

Sinfonia Classica
Hans-Peter Hofmann, director

Queen’s Theatre, Barnstaple

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Machtig mooie Dvorák van de Meester Manacorda
femmyfeiten.nl


January 2014
Femmy Feijten

Laura van der Heijden was even in verlegenheid gebracht toen er na het eerste deel een klaterend applaus opklonk. (Laura is toevallig familie van Ed Spanjaard die ik laatst nog heb horen dirigeren in Musis en ook nog een achterkleinkind van een dirigent Feestelijke zaalvan HGO.) Zij speelde het celloconcert van Dvorak. Een adembenemende uitvoering. Nog maar 15 of 16 jaar, jong in ieder geval. Wat een fantastische prestatie, niet omdat ze zo jong was, maar omdat ze het stuk zo goed speelde! Over een paar jaar mag ik zeggen: “Ja, haar heb ik een keer live gezien bij HGO in Musis!”

Dvorak Cello Concerto

Het Gelders Orkest
Antonello Manacorda, conductor

Musis Sacrum, Arnhem, The Netherlands

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Huddersfield Philharmonic
The Huddersfield Daily Examiner


November 2013
William Marshall

Could such a young player also have the emotional maturity that one would have thought necessary for a work that has the reputation of being Elgar’s deepest journey into existential angst? Yes she could. This was a performance that could easily have come from a player three times her age.

Elgar Cello Concerto

Huddersfield Philharmonic Orchestra
Robert Guy, conductor

Huddersfield Town Hall, Huddersfield

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Goldsmiths Choral Union
larkreviews.co.uk


October 2013
Dr Brian Hick

Between these works, and in fine contrast, we heard Elgar’s cello concerto. As the earlier review shows, I heard Laura van der Heijden as soloist in the same work five days earlier in Maidstone. In the Royal Festival Hall, making her South Bank debut, the acoustic was more favourable and the lower range of the cello made greater impact. I was also more aware of the extended lyricism of her approach to the slow movement. The orchestral sound from the Royal Philharmonic created a wider palette of tonal support. In the final movement she creates impressive tension between the potential melancholy and the over-arching nobility of the score.

Elgar Cello Concerto

Goldsmiths Choral Union
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Brian Wright, conductor

Royal Festival Hall, London

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A truly remarkable performance
Kent Messenger & Lark Reviews


October 2013
Dr. Brian Hick

deeply moving

The unusually slow, hushed opening was foretaste of what was to come. Where so many soloists find melancholy or even despair in these pages, here we had the joy that autumn can bring. Sudden tiny bursts of sunlight in the mist, minute changes of tone and colour, gone before we could pin them down. As the first movement drew towards its close she brought a coolness, even a playfulness to the phrasing which was deeply moving.

The third movement was clean and warm but never indulgent. Those of us used to a heady amount of portamento here may have been struck by the almost classical impact of the melodic line. This led to a noble opening for the final movement and a sparky conclusion. The return to the opening theme was a memory, not a fulfilment. When we recall that Laura van der Heijden won the BBC Young Musician of the year in 2012 and is only 16 now, this was a truly remarkable performance. I look forward to hearing her again soon.

Elgar Cello Concerto

Maidstone Symphony Orchestra
Brian Wright, conductor

Mote Hall, Maidstone

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Laura is a true star - KL Festival Review
Lynn News


July 2013
Lynn News

something really special

The orchestra played throughout with a superbly rich tone but at the same time their articulation was clean and fresh, the music being interpreted with natural feeling and sensitivity. These qualities were evident in abundance in the two works in which Laura van der Heijden was soloist. She brought youthful enthusiasm combined with elegance and élan to her interpretations of Haydn’s C major Cello Concerto No.1 and projected well the atmosphere of the young composer Tom Watts’ work Bridge of Sighs for solo cello and strings.

Haydn Cello Concerto in C
Tim Watts, Bridge of Sighs

European Union Chamber Orchestra
Hans-Peter Hofmann, director

St Nicholas’s Chapel, Kings Lynn

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Cellist comes close to perfection
Newbury Weekly News


July 2013
Nick Davies

an extraordinarily impressive evening

Laura has incredible poise and presence as a performer. Even when playing the most technically challenging music (and there was plenty of that), she appeared to expend no energy, was unflappable, and achieved perfect results. She produces a beautiful tone from her Galileo Arcellaschi cello, made in 1935.

Locatelli, Cello Sonata in D major
Brahms, Cello Sonata No.2 in F, Op.99
Rachmaninov, Cello Sonata in G minor, Op.19

Mana Oguchi, piano

St Mary’s Church, Great Bedwyn

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20 Years Guernsey Symphony Orchestra
Guernsey Press


November 2012
Bob Beebe

a spellbinding, faultless performance

The way in which she communicated to the audience through the harmony with her cello was beautiful to watch and listen to. She made her cello sing out eloquently in a refined and passionate way which captivated the audience from start to finish.

Walton Cello Concerto

Guernsey Symphony Orchestra
Richard Dickins, conductor

St. Peter Port, Guernsey

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The Wasps & Enigma Variations
classicalsource.com


October 2012
Robert Matthew-Walker

terrific performance of Walton’s Cello Concerto

Hearing Laura van der Heijden’s inspired and inspiring performance proved the quality of Walton’s invention and his compositional artistry time and again: every phrase, every paragraph in the solo part was perfectly projected with true feeling and character, not only on its own terms but also in the part it plays in the work’s overall structure. Hers was an account of the highest musical instinct and integrity, and the occasional glance at the RPO’s cello section during the performance revealed that almost all of them also knew every note, even when they were not playing, their interest heightened by their outstandingly gifted young soloist. And she is only 15 years old! Laura van der Heijden deserves the finest of instruments, for on this showing she is not the Young Musician of the Year, but of the Decade.

Walton Cello Concerto

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Paul Daniel, conductor

Cadogan Hall, London

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Expressive and assured
Newbury Weekly News


October 2012
Derek Ansell

Young cellist delights Friday lunchtime audience with her sensitive playing

It was longer than the usual hour on this occasion, but the audience would have kept the musicians there all day, given the chance. When I asked her later if she had a particular favourite, Laura said no, but admitted to a great fondness for the Debussy.

JS Bach, Gamba Sonata No.2 in D, BWV 1028
Mendelssohn, Cello Sonata No.1 in B flat, Op.45
Debussy, Cello Sonata (1915)

Huw Watkins, piano

Corn Exchange, Newbury

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La Folia recital review
Salisbury Journal


September 2012
Sheila Oglethorpe

an amazing experience

They drew the audience into a deeply musical and delightful world, contrasting moods and melodies with every phrase beautifully crafted.

JS Bach, Gamba Sonata No.2 in D, BWV 1028
Mendelssohn, Cello Sonata No.1 in B flat, Op.45
Tchaikovsky, Pezzo Capriccioso, Op. 62
Debussy, Cello Sonata (1915)

Howard Moody, piano

Medieval Hall, Salisbury

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Queen's Diamond Jubilee Concert
Worthing Herald


May 2012
Richard Amey

professional performance of stunning accomplishment

Then we met Laura Van Der Heijden in Bruch’s Kol Nidrei, for Cello and Orchestra. Booked long before her BBC triumph, she had been tipped to Gibbons by Hove music man Tony Purkiss as potentially a Forest Row-based heir to Jacqueline du Pré. Immediately, her big sound hit us (could Perkiss be right?) and a musician ship subliminally beyond her 15 years was evident as she gave us a first professional performance of stunning accomplishment and authority.

Bruch, Kol Nidrei

Worthing Symphony Orchestra
John Gibbons, conductor

Assembly Hall, Worthing

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Britain's Got Talent: Young Musician of the Year 2012
Bachtrack


May 2012
Jane Shuttleworth

incredible musicianship and maturity

The overall winner of the competition, Laura van der Heijden, exhibited incredible musicianship and maturity from the moment of her first appearance in the category finals, and her thoughtful approach showed through even in her choice of concerto. Instead of playing one of the “big” famous cello pieces such as the Elgar or the Dvořák, she opted for William Walton’s relatively unknown concerto, and made it her own. Walton’s concerto reverses the expected form, consisting of two slower outer movements, and a virtuosic second movement. This fast movement glittered with colour from the woodwind, matched beautifully by the cello solo passages. The concerto opens with a gently swinging, seductive theme, and the lyrical passages sang out beautifully. The final movement (Lento – Tema ed improvvisazioni) contrasted poised beauty with an exciting cadenza, followed by bold orchestral flourishes, before dying away to almost nothing. The beauty of Laura van der Heijden’s playing lies in the fact that she has a wonderful expressivity, but never, ever overdoes it, and the pianissimo ending of the concerto was enchanting, ending with just the solo cello, captivating the audience, just as the solo recorder had done at the beginning of the concert.

Walton Cello Concerto

Northern Sinfonia
Kirill Karabits, conductor

The Sage Gateshead

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BBC Young Musician 2012
Susan Tomes


April 2012
Susan Tomes

The combination of instrumental mastery with emotion and understanding is as rare as it ever was.

These days, everyone seems to be able to tackle virtuosic pieces with incredible aplomb; competitor after competitor presented programmes of enormous technical difficulty. Despite the rising level of virtuosity, however, it remains the case that what the audience is hoping for is someone who can combine instrumental mastery with emotion and understanding. That combination is as rare as it ever was. But we did see it, notably in the case of Laura van der Heijden, the 14-year-old cellist who won the String final last night.

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