Ariadne Daskalakis

Memorable

BBC Magazine: "Expect the Unexpected"

“Schubert’s romantic leanings did not appear initially to respond well to historically-informed performance practice. The rich-toned cantabile of the modern instrumental set-ups had by the middle of the last century become virtually synonymous with Schubert’s profoundly lyrical tendency...
How things have changed, listening to this first volume of Schubert’s violin music from Ariadne Daskalakis, whose 1754 Guadagnini violin combines with Paolo Giacometti’s 1815 Lagrassa fortepiano to ear-tweaking effect in the G minor Sonata, D408, and C major Fantasy, D934. Expect the unexpected, as phrases that invariably emerge as stylistically premonitory of things to come, instead give Classical norms a thorough spring-clean. As a result, the Fantasy’s unusual, segueing four-movement structure feels almost impressionistic in its temporal reappropriations – little wonder the premiere audience didn’t know what to make of it.
The relatively early, orchestra-accompanied A major Rondo, D438, D major Konzertstück, D345 and B flat Polonaise, D580 also emerge as freshly minted, especially the latter’s infectiously lifted dance rhythms and gently aerated textures. By comparison, even the lithe-toned take-nothing-for-granted Gidon Kremer with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe (on DG) feel slightly old-school by comparison."

Julian Haylock, BBC Music Magazine

Schubert Vol. 1 in Grammophone

Schubert’s music for violin and orchestra doesn’t suffer from over-familiarity in concert and, lasting only about half an hour in total, is rarely collected together on disc, so this first volume of Schubert’s ‘Music for Violin’ is a valuable exercise on that count alone.
Ariadne Daskalakis is at one with her 1754 Guadagnini and a fine advocate for these occasional works, composed for private performance, most likely for Schubert’s elder brother Ferdinand. All three are works of easy charm, the D major Konzertstück given added gravitas by the addition of trumpets and drums. Michael Alexander Willens and his Cologne players offer sure-footed accompaniment.
The Sonatinas are more regular fare and it is worthwhile hearing the third of the trio on period instruments. Paolo Giacometti’s fortepiano is by Salvatore Lagrassa, c1815, which comes into its own in the major work here, the C major Fantasie, D934. The other works all date from Schubert’s late teens (the Polonaise just sneaks into his twenties) but the Fantasie is a fully mature work from the penultimate year of the composer’s short life, displaying all the features of his greatest music: heavenly length, rapturous outpouring of melody, innovative harmonic subtlety and fiendish technical demands on both players. ... The B minor Rondeau brillant, presumably slated for Vol 2, should be a treat.

David Threasher, Grammophone

Allmusic Review: Schubert Vol. 1 on BIS

Historical performances of Schubert’s music remain less common than those for Baroque composers or even Mozart or Beethoven, but this release by violinist Ariadne Daskalakis shows the possibilities. Playing a 1754 Guadagnini instrument with gut strings, Baroque bows, and a period bridge, she offers a reading that’s delicate even without the benefit of vibrato. “[The strings’] color underscores the fragility and vulnerability of Schubert’s creative voice,” she writes. In this first volume of Schubert’s violin music, she offers three little-played works for violin and orchestra, the first two of them are ambitious works that deserve wider exposure. Better still, however, are the two violin-and-piano pieces. These are more common, but fortepianist Paolo Giacometti and his Salvatore Lagrassa instrument of 1815, bring new breezes to the music. This maker is not one of the famous ones, but sample the first movement of the Fantasy in C major for violin and piano D.934, where the fortepiano produces a kind of murky rumbling. You can sense the excitement Schubert’s contemporaries would have found from the instrumental sound alone in a performance that likely sounded much like this, and one awaits with similar excitement future releases from these musicians in the same vein.”

James Manheim, AllMusic Review

The Strad: Pristine performances bring out the classicist in Schubert

“Despite Schubert’s Romantic poetical learnings, he remained a Classicist at heart. Even in his later instrumental works, when he began expanding the temporal scale of his vision - as in the C major Fantasy, included here - his use of structural building blocks and motivic interplay remained essentially true to Mozartian principles. As a result his music is particularly well suited to having a veneer of the late 19th-century rhetoric removed (as here) to reveal pristine surfaces, glistening in a revitalised world of vibrato-reduced clarity, enhanced phrasal flexibility and rhythmic dynamism.
This is especially noticeable in the relatively early, orchestra-accompanied Rondo, Konzertstück and Polonaise, which in Ariadne Daskalakis’s skilled hands cascade off the fingerboard with a litheness and shimmering delight that capture the music’s innate charm and dance-like vivacity with a beguiling sureness of touch. Dating from the same period (1816), the G minor sonata turns intermittently to the dark side, anticipating the tantalising harmonic shadings of Schubert’s later music, as exemplified by the 1827 Fantasy."

Julian Haylock, The Strad, Sept. 2 2019

Unlocking the Secret

CD "Musical Offering" in a setting by Sebastian Gottschick, on the label Tacet, with the Ensemble Vintage Köln led by Ariadne Daskalakis
"...Gottschicks own creations are also presented creatively. He combines Bach's six canons in the six-minute "Canon Puzzle" to form a new composition, which, with its polyrhythmic and multitonal layers, provides for fun multitasking-listening. ..In his arrangement of "Canon per Tonos", Gottschick transforms Bach's chromatic modulation with glissandi and increases the level of expression. With these compositions he offers a colorful contrast to the finely played Bach interpretation."

Matthias Corvin, Kölnische Rundschau

Ensemble Vintage Köln: Bachs "Musikalisches Opfer"

"...The ensemble around violinist Ariadne Daskalakis presents a setting by Sebastian Gottschick in a new order and with Gottschick's own ingredients. The sonorous colors, range of contrasts and schematic consistency are all utterly convincing."

Markus Schwering, Kölner Stadtanzeiger

Heinrich Biber - The Rosary Sonatas

A New Englander of Greek heritage, Daskalakis is based in Cologne, Germany, where she is surrounded by colleagues skilled in both new and old music. As is customary, she uses multiple instruments to deal with the different tunings and moods: a 1732 Gennaro Gagliano, a 1748 Peter Wamsley, a 1989 David Rubio, and a 1769 Giovanni Baptista Guadagnini. Her interpretations are an ideal balance of control and abandon, darkness and light, from the intensely dialectical Ciacona representing “The Presentation of Jesus in Temple” and the bleakness of the Lamento of “The Agony in the Garden” to the unbridled joy at the end of “The Descent of the Holy Spirit.” With this release, Daskalakis propels herself into the front rank of historical violinists.

Benjamin Dunham, Early Music America Magazine, summer 2016

Bibers tönende Passion

(not yet translated…please scroll down!) Die Kölner Geigerin Ariadne Daskalakis wird unter Assistenz des ebenfalls ortsansässigen (hochschulzentrierten) Ensembles Vintage (mit Gerald Hambitzer, Rainer Zipperling und Simon Martyn-Ellis) all diesen Anforderungen in ihrer Neueinspielung herausragend gerecht. Die gebürtige US-Amerikanerin mit griechischen Wurzeln bedient zum einen professionell die Usancen der historischen Aufführungspraxis, was aber - zum anderen - nie zu einer akademischen Austrocknung ihrer Performance führt. Im Gegenteil: Auf der Basis eines in Intonation und Phrasierung durchkontrollierten Spiels lässt Daskalakis auch schon mal eine fantastische Entgrenzung zu. Auf den vier von ihr gespielten Geigen jubelt, klagt, singt und tanzt sie, dass es eine Freude ist. Ihr dichter, glutvoller Ton geht nicht nur in die Ohren, sondern auch - etwa im chromatischen Lamento der Gethsemane-Szene der sechsten Sonate - unter die Haut. Tönende Passion!

Kölner Stadtanzeiger, August 30, 2016

Johann Wenzel Kalliwoda Violin Concertinos, Overtures

Here we are treated to three overtures and two one-movement violin "concertinos" featuring the talented Ariadne Daskalakis, an American based at the Cologne Conservatory. The second quarter of the 19th century was all about virtuosity (Paganini and Liszt were wowing audiences), but no one would have accused Kalliwoda of selling his soul to the devil ... His music is direct and unaffected, and this is true of Daskalakis's playing as well: clean, warm, sympathetic, and exhibiting impressive technical ease. Kalliwoda's themes are in turn energetic, songful, charming, and playful, with many nice touches of color.

Benjamin Dunham, Early Music America Magazine, spring 2016

Mit der Aura seliger Entrückung

Am Karfreitag spielte das Ensemble "Concerto Köln" in der Philharmonie ein Konzert zur Passionszeit ... Angeführt von der fabelhaften Konzertmeisterin Ariadne Daskalakis, machte das in Spieltechnik und Temperament bestens gelaunte Ensemble vor allem auf Bachs Insturmentations- und Satzkunst aufmerksam, auf die Überraschungen in Farben, Akzenten und Harmonien. Und auf die Möglichkeit zur solistischen Entfaltung (zum Beispiel für Oboe, Fagott, Orgel, Flöte) innterhalb des großen Verbunds in Sinfonien zu "Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis", "Ich liebe den Höchsten", "Geist und Seele sind verwirret", "Wir müssen durch viel Trübsal" und anderen.

G. Bauer, Kölner Stadtanzeiger, 25. März 2016

BIBER Rosary Sonatas. Passagalia. MUFFAT Violin Sonata in D

From the flurries of notes in the opening of the "Annunciation" (the flutter of Gabriel's wings?), it's clear that Daskalakis employs a wide range of dynamics and produces from the violin she plays a decidedly acidulous sound that many have identified with period performance. ... She and her ensemble (Gerald Hambitzer, organ and harpsichord; Rainer Zipperling, viola da gamba; and Simon Martyn-Ellis, theorbo) bring that first sonata to a powerful conclusion. She preserves the lightness of the dance rhythms in the Allamanda of the "Visitation". ... she certainly draws on a wide range of expressive manners and devices in working through its variations. Given the suite-like sequence of movements (Praeludium, Allamanda, Guigue, Sarabanda, and Double) of the "Finding" and the ensemble's sweetly vigorous and fanciful realization, it should strike many listeners that the program can be, or become, almost irrelevant to the enjoyment and even the edification these works provide.
...
The ensemble fleshes out the second disc with a performance of Georg Muffat's Sonata in D Major, a substantial work (at more than 12 minutes) written by Biber's fellow worker for a time in Salzburg, chock full of surprises and elegant turns of phrase by both composer and performing group. Daskalakis, in particular, warms to its Italianate lyricism, and her continuo players support her sinsitively and discretely.

Robert Maxham, Fanfare, March/April 2016

Baroque violin splendours

Ariadne Daskalakis is a compelling advocate. On the one hand she enlivens Biber's illustratvie palette with bold, extrovert gestures, on the other she projects expressive tenderness as, for instance in the Adagio of the Nativity Sonata (No. 3). Her rhythmic suppleness is a constant delight and her restrained, apposite ornamentation, as in the Aria of the Crucifixus commendable. ... This is a technically accomplished and thoughtful performance. Ensemble Vintage Köln provide discreet and stylish support while Daskalakis herself contributes a first-rate accompanying essay. Recorded sound is excellent.

Nicholas Anderson, BBC Music Magazine, December 2015

Biber's Mystery Sonatas

One is also aware of variety of tone colour in the recording by American violinist Ariadne Daskalakis. Unlike Bonet or Podger, she uses four different violins; but though her natural sound is presumably the light and airy one of the conventionally tuned 'Annunciation', she is not afraid to make things ugly, as when she brings sourness to 'The Scourging', edge to the final section of 'The Presentation in the Temple' and glassiness to 'The Nativity'. With the three continuo players of Ensemble Vintage Köln she produces stylish Biber-playing...

Lindsay Kemp, Gramophone, October 2015

Heinrich Ignaz Franz von BIBER, Georg MUFFAT

I dislike judging books by their covers but the photograph of Ariadne Daskalakis on the back page of the booklet makes her look very intense – much more intense than her more smiling photograph with the other performers on page 16. As it happens, that sums up the quality of the performances – just about the most intense that I’ve heard where intensity is called for, but the intensity is never overdone and she's more than sprightly enough in the livelier movements: try track 13 of CD2, Aria – [Variatio] – Guigue. (NB: that’s not a typo, nor is Passagalia, track 18 – those are the spellings in the score.)
...
In this case the recording quality from the 2-channel SACD layer certainly reinforces the intensity of the performances. That and the high quality of the booklet, with excellent notes by Ariadne Daskalakis herself, combines with the excellence of the interpretations to make this probably my benchmark for this music in future.
(please see complete review)

Brian Wilson, MusicWeb International, October 2015

Sensitive Rendition of a Prominent Sonata Cycle

In this new recording of the label BIS, the cycle of 16 sonatas … assumes a very convincing form. Responsible for this is violinist Ariadne Daskalakis, who has created an interpretation in dialogue with Ensemble Vintage Köln. … Daskalakis capably delves into the possibilities of Biber’s score – an interpretative challenge, met especially well in the introductory movements with their fast prelude passages – and she manages to give the performance modesty even where the composer demands the greatest technical challenges. Beyond that her performance impresses with its dynamic spectrum as well as great elegance when called for by the music.
Using her ability to make subtle distinctions, she consistently provides the violin part with surprising colors.
(please see complete review in German)

Dr. S. Drees, Klassik.com, September 2, 2015

J.W. Kalliwoda – Recording of the month on Musicweb International

Ariadne Daskalakis is a rising star of the violin, and if she can play such obscure music as stirringly as she does here, I wonder what she’d do with Beethoven or Mozart. Her Biber Rosary Sonatas are a new release on BIS ... I am enthralled. These albums are re-writing music history.
(please see complete review)

B. Reinhart, Musicweb International, August 2015

J.W. Kalliwoda

Ariadne Daskalakis, internationally renowned American violinist with Greek heritage, is a professor for violin at the Conservatory for Music in Cologne. In a musical team with Michael Alexander Willens and the Kölner Akademie she does full tonal and artistic justice to the two Concertini, and refrains from any exaggerations which would have done the somewhat simple music more harm than good. The interpreters give the pieces loving attention, which saves the music from being associated with the stale aftertaste of “pièces d’occasion”.
(please see complete review in German)

D. Huchting, Klassik Heute, August 7, 2015

Acclaimed musicians enamor overflow crowd

They also gave memorable performances and touched the hearts of the people of all ages with their expertise, precision and emotional strength. … All four were magnificent in their endeavors and elicited noticeable emotional responses from many in the audience. … In a statement published in the event program Thursday, Daskalakis stressed the significance of Land’s End “promoting and supporting local institutions and causes. Together we are creating a true ‘win-win’ situation, by presenting cultural events for the community, which in turn benefit important local organizations.” And make music, music.
(please see complete review)

C. Shott, Wareham Courier, August 6, 2015

Classical music from the heart and head

This year in its fourth incarnation, the festival … always rewards and challenges its audiences in equal measure. … Throughout, the music was enlivened by the heartfelt violin playing of Daskalakis, the warm responses of Chang and Riggs, the robust, open pianism of Tichman, and the clear-headed playing of violist Gottschick, who is always an advocate of the composer in any work he plays.
(please see complete review)

B. Dunham, The Sentinel, August 6, 2015

Daskalakis and Giacometti celebrate Schubert

When Ariadne Daskalakis (violin) and Paolo Giacometti (Piano) performed works by Franz Schubert in the Belgian Haus, it was evident after only a few measures how the term “chamber music” evolved: a quiet, peaceful room in which the musicians can be alone with the music, in which they can listen and react to each other, so that the music sings, resonates and, behind tears, laughs, sobs and rejoices.
History is thus brought into the present… in sound, consciousness, technique and feeling. The full sweet tone of the Guadagnini and the round, full, shimmering sound…of the Fortepiano…made musical moments possible which were close to perfection.

G. Bauer, Kölner Stadtanzeiger, April 22, 2015

Land's End festival rewards area audience

...you won't hear better concerts in Salzburg than the one I heard Saturday night in Wareham! The Music from Land's End Festival (aka Ariadne Daskalakis and friends) concluded with a brilliant program...partly arranged by violist and composer Sebastian Gottschick. It mixed old and new...and made the concoction appealing to all. ...[In the Shostakovich Two Pieces] Daskalakis positively nailed a recitative-like cadenza at the end of the piu mosso section, rappelling down the fingerboard as if she had studied with Spiderman at the Juilliard School. ...The audience jumped to their feet and demanded two encores.
The word will have to come out: Wareham is home to a small but internationally significant summer festival.
(please see complete review)

Wareham Courier 7/27/14, Benjamin Dunham (Editor, Early Music America)

...a shining season's finale

The audience enjoyed the exemplary homogenous playing ...of violinist Ariadne Daskalakis and pianist Anthony Spiri. They called their program "Viennese Classic", but they did not limit it to Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert... They also incorporated the 'Second Viennese School' with Franz Schreker and Anton von Webern. ...The guests brought the music to life...with bubbling playfulness, blossoming sound (also thanks to the beautifully sounding Guadagnini violin) and sparkling, impeccable piano playing...The audience was utterly delighted and took pleasure in an encore by Dvorak.

Rheinische Post, May 26

Concert: the Dortmund Philharmonic contrasts Vivaldi and Stravinsky

The subscribers of the Philharmonic had long awaited baroque music. The concert was well attended even though this was the hall's third rendition of Vivaldi's Four Seasons within a month. This interpretation was the best. And it was a happy reunion with a prizewinner of the Dortmund Mozart Society: Ariadne Daskalakis won her award in 2000. In the meantime the Greek American has grown into a mature, expressive soloist.
She led the baroque ensemble without a conductor, keeping eye contact with all the musicians and communicating the moods of the seasons with a pure tone, full of colors.

Ruhr-Nachrichten/WAZ/WR Feb. 13, 2014

Violin Rarities in the Aachen Cathedral

The artist sent her sound up to the sparkling Mosaic of the Octagon with a smile and elegant bow-strokes. With her singing violin she let the music of Johann Sebastian Bach shine.
Ariadne Daskalakis, American with Greek heritage, impressed with her technical surety, her finely sensitive, sometimes very personal interpretation and the great warmth of her playing in the A-minor concerto.
(with the Aachen Domorchester under Berthold Botzet)

Sabine Rother, Aachener Zeitung

Fantastic Interpretation

Antonio Vivaldo: "7 with one Stroke" (Tacet CD: Concertos by Antonio Vivaldi; Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra; Ariadne Daskalakis, Artistic Direction) ...The Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra plays on modern instruments, yet historically informed, with the advantage that the singing quality is in the foreground, as opposed to noises often used for effect. That's an advantage of this recording, as is the the technical flexibility and brilliance of the musicians...
Ariadne Daskalakis, American of Greek heritage, assumed the Musical Direction for this CD. Her artistry earns her the name "Universal Specialist". Her repertoire is broad and yet she is always stylistically secure and absolutely at home with the material - for example in the wonderful A-minor double concerto with [Wolfgang] Kussmaul. This Vivaldi succeeds with a cheerful lightness, based on the sheer strength of the music and without any caricature - thank goodness! "Seven with One Stroke" - these seven have indeed met their mark!

MDR Figaro (German Radio)

Vivaldi and Bach Concerti in Potsdam

...with the Kammerakademie Potsdam and Mariya Krasnyuk under Konrad Junghänel
„Daskalakis’ auf einer kostbaren Guadagnini-Geige erzeugter Ton ist gestochen sauber und klar, vibratoarm, aber nie spröde. Bei aller Akribie historisch orientierter Musizierweise bleibt ihr und der Musiker Spiel immer lebendig und locker, unaufhörlich pulsierend. Kaleidoskopartig blättern sie das Geschehen an einem von lähmender Hitze erfüllten „Sommer“-Tag auf, der mit jähen Stimmungswechseln zwischen lastender Sonnenglut, unruhevollen Ahnungen und urgewaltigem Unwetter nicht spart.
...im leichtfüßigen italienischen Gusto ist Johann Sebastian Bachs d-Moll-Konzert...Der Klangfarbenwechsel in andere nunmehr gedecktere Gefilde gelingt allen Beteiligten vorzüglich. Des virtuosen, lebhaften und energischen Wettstreitens scheint kein Ende, das von Ariadne Daskalakis und ihrer Schülerin Mariya Krasnyuk bestimmt wird und von den mitreißenden Intentionen des Dirigenten erheblich profitiert. Leicht, locker und elegant...um schließlich in affektgeladenem Furor zu landen.“

Peter Buske, Potsdamer Neueste Nachrichten, March 20, 2012

Vivaldi and Bach in the Konzerthaus Dortmund

...with the Kammerakademie Potsdam and Mariya Krasnyuk under Konrad Junghänel
„ ‚Frühling’ und ‚Sommer’ aus Vivaldi’s ‚Vier Jahreszeiten’ klangen sehr profiliert...Selbstverständliche Virtuosität war immer ins Ganze integriert; wunderbar flüssig das Zusammenspiel von Solistinnen und Orchester in Bachs Doppelkonzert d-moll BWV 1043.“

Henning Thies, WAZ und Westfälischen Rundschau, March 26, 2012

Venetian Program with the Cologne Chamber Orchestra in the Cologne Philharmonie

„...The program dedicated to Antonio Vivaldi was played so freely and sensitively by the strings under Ariadne Daskalakis’ leadership, that no one thought even to ask about a conductor...Highlights were two works from the famous collection ‚L’estro armonico’: the VIolin Concerto in a minor and the Concerto for 4 VIolins in b minor.
Daskalakis already played the violin concerto with such sensitivity and fullness of tone, as she also later beautifully led the solo-Quartet...“

Kölnische Rundschau (mco), 6. März 2012

Soloist Ariadne Daskalakis shines in Violin Concerto

with the Sinfonietta Köln under Cornelius Frohwein "… Then something happens, as if one suddenly should unpack an unexpected gift whose contents already seem to be familiar. The symphonies of the two Haydn brothers are perfectly complemented by the magnificent Violin Concerto K. 219 by Mozart. It is the main present of the evening. The Greek-American virtuoso soloist Ariadne Daskalakis performs this work ideally: energetically and at the same time with great sensitivity.

The tonal balance with the orchestra is not compromised in any moment. With little vibrato, not following the characteristic romantic style of performance, which unfortunately is heard all too often these days, Daskalakis embraces the warm tone of the score. The violinist makes nuances visible, is vigorous where it is needed without merely pursuing effects. Her instrument, a valuable Guadagnini, which any reasonably ambitious violinist would long for, gives rise to such a soft tonal painting, that it warms the heart. This is especially touching in the adagio movement. With this Mozartian palette full of singing lines she draws almost an impressionistic watercolor on the imaginary canvas. With vigor, but never in a hurry, always making the best use of the material, Daskalakis shapes the final rondo. Enriched with gypsy nuances she achieves a stunning effect."

Udo Barth, Badisches Tagblatt, Januar 19, 2012

Mozart Concerto with Sinfonietta Köln

“…The contrast to the next piece in the program is remarkable. The Concerto in A Major for Violin and Orchestra, K.V. 219 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791), is anything but a rarity. For violinists, it provides a welcome opportunity to show technical perfection as well as musical intuition and empathy. For audiences it also has its appeal, because despite its upscale, even classical compositional levels it still has the grace and light entertainment of courtly music. After all, it is a work of the still relatively young Mozart. Already in the first movement, performed extremely fresh and accentuated by violinist Ariadne Daskalakis, one is struck by the sovereign genius of Mozart. Bar for bar, it is far removed from mere technical perfection. Again and again, with a wink of the eye, Mozart places humorous, witty turns of phrase, which the soloist knew exactly how to handle. She showed a Mozart who composed very seriously at the highest level but who did not take everything all too seriously, and who still wants to have his fun. The serious aspects were particularly impressive in the very sensitive and technically perfectly played cadenza of the first movement and throughout the whole slow middle movement, in which Ariadne Daskalakis impressed with her sensitive lyrical tone, without lapsing into simple sentimentality. Wonderfully lively, witty and full of intensity, the violin concerto came to an end.”

Karl-Heinz Fischer, Acher-und Bühler Bote, Jan. 19, 2012

The Strad recommends... Handel with Ensemble Vintage Köln

„These performers give pride of place to the five echt violin sonats, but acknowledge the merits of the four doubtful ones... Their readings demonstrate remarkable flair and individuality, as well as an instinctive sense of style.
Ariadne Daskalakis makes her violin sing eloquently in the slow movements...Her athletic fingers zip through Handel’s lively fast movements, particularly the fugato Allegros...played with striking panache...The recording has exemplary clarity, yet warmth too.

Robin Stowell, The Strad, January 2012

Ein Klangsubtiles Miteinander

Manon Quartet Berlin with Lorenzo Coppolla, Clarinet
„...das herzerwärmendes Musizieren des Ensembles! Klangsinnlich und leidenschaftlich geht es immerfort zu, verströmen sich gleichsam singende Liebesbekundungen auf die lieblichste Weise. Kurzum: Verinnerlichung pur. Dabei begeistert die Leichtigkeit der Tonbildung aller Instrumente, ihre Flexibilität, ihr Farbenreichtum. Was zu einer atemberaubender Intensität des Leisen führt.“

Peter Buske, Potsdamer Neueste Nachrichten, 24. Juni, 2011

Jewels by Russian Composers

„...die Suite von Igor Stravinsky ‚Suite Italienne’ für Violine und Klavier...Im Vortrag von Ariadne Daskalakis und Alexander Zolotarev vereinten sich Klangsinn und Gefühl, Geist und Vitalität aufs Schönste. Melodiös und spielerisch entfalten die Sätze ihren Ausdruck. Für die Interpretation von Peter Tschaikowskys beliebten ‚Trio Op. 50’...Die drei Musiker ließen das Musizierfeuer lodern und schufen ein weit umspannendes Musikkunstwerk von gewaltiger Wirkung...Mit stehenden Ovationen bedankten sich die Zuhörer am Schluss für das gelungene Konzert.“

Iris Zumbusch, Rhein-Sieg-Anzeiger, March 24, 2011

The Attempt to turn a Violinist Upsidedown

"The soloist Ariadne Daskalakis seems to enjoy testing her concentration: being turned upside down while simultaneously playing Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” – that demands physical and mental stamina. Ariadne Daskalakis’ rendition of the baroque cycle is full of poetry in spite of the gymnastics. Her violin sings with passion and tenderness, with marvelous ease. The performance by the Academy of Ancient Music Berlin appeals largely thanks to its magical sound and colors."

Monika Lanzendörfer, Mannheimer Morgen, February 18, 2011

Ensemble Vintage thrills Baroque Fans

"Violin virtuoso Ariadne Daskalakis attended to unmistakable 'historical performance practice', …. Daskalakis’ impeccable intonation fulfilled highest expectations. Her dynamic playing charmed in the Handel Sonata and even further in the strong-willed rhapsodic variations by H.I. F. Biber."

Albrecht Zimmermann, Badische Neueste Nachrichten, January 18, 2011

Brilliant: Concert at St. Aposteln

"The light, well-rounded and yet well-contoured sound of the ensemble was wonderful. A highlight was Bach’s E-Major Violin Concerto BV 1042, with Daskalakis as soloist. The collaboration with the Professor of the Cologne Conservatory can only be called successful. Sie brought Bach’s music to life with a flexible sound and silky sheen. Especially beautiful were the soft passages in the Adagio.”

Matthias Corvin, Kölnischer Rundschau, December 17, 2010

March 2010: Baroque Tour in Ireland – Ariadne Daskalakis and Trio Vintage

…the contrasted sweetness and strength of Ariadne Daskalakis’ tone emphasise the quality of Bach’s G major Sonata.

In Biber’s ‘Annunciation’ Sonata her florid flourishes elicit sedate processional images as well as boisterous rustic scenes.

Pat O’Kelly – Irish Independent

Trio Vintage delighted in the strange effects the players were called upon to deliver, and the works by the minor composers flowed nicely too.

… the musical approach was always decisive, the tone huskily distinctive…

Michael Dervan – Irish Times

Bernstein Serenade with the Philharmonic Orchestra Hagen under Michael Alexander Willens in the Stadthalle Hagen

... Ariadne Daskalakis, youngest Violin Professor in Cologne since 2000, was brilliant as the soloist. It was wonderful how she expressed enraptured intimacy in her playing. In the last movement 'typical Bernstein' flared up: jazz-influenced passion with rhythmic percussion episodes.

Christoph Bingel, Westfälische Rundschau , February 12, 2009

'Celebrated: Ariadne Daskalakis' ...the young violinist Ariadne Daskalakis masters the solo violin part with as much dreamlike singing as rhythmic power, and she rises with perfection to stratospheric heights. The public celebrates the soloist with enthusiasm and receives a movement of Bach as an encore.

Monika Willer, Westfalenpost, February 12, 2009

Beethoven Concerto with the Athens State Orchestra under Dimitris Agrafiotis in the Megaron Concert Hall, Athens

"...The first half of the concert was dominated by Beethoven's Violin Concerto, performed by Ariadne Daskalakis. Her sound was powerful and confident. The structural unity of the concerto was performed with clarity... The middle movement was performed with delicacy and sensitivity. Daskalakis' clear, round and tonally secure sound was especially appreciated. In the third movement... the violinist showed power and expression and concluded the concerto with success."

Nikos Dontas, Kathimerini, January 18, 2009

Violin Concertos by Tartini and Haydn with the Cologne Chamber Orchestra in the Cologne Philharmonic Hall

"Eyecontact with the Virtuoso" Fresh Wind in the Cologne Philharmonie's Series 'Masterworks' ...The orchestra had already made an award-winning quality recording of Tartini Violin Concertos with the fabulous violinist and Cologne Professor Ariadne Daskalakis. They performed Tartini and Haydn in historical tradition without conductor, opting for direct contact between the orchestra and the virtuoso. She resisted heaviness in the carefree passages, and let her violin dance and sparkle its way through the remarkably difficult material.

Cologne StadtAnzeiger, December 12, 2008

"Elegance til the last Note." ... Highlights of the richly varied program were the performances of violinist Ariadne Daskalakis. She performed two A-Major concertos by Tartini and Haydn as soloist and leader with lightness, tasteful vibrato and intelligent interaction with the orchestra. She formed the Adagios with feeling and poetry and the fast movements with dream-perfect elegance and energy.

Cologne Rundschau, December 9, 2008

Exciting Concert with Works by Raff, Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky

"Daskalakis captured the emotion and its subtleties with her beautifully sounding instrument. She approached the one-movement work with energy and strength, doing justice to its structure while exploring the depths of her sound and overflowing with passion."

Lüdenscheider Nachrichten, 18 February 08

"Betwiching Beauty": Beethoven's Violinconcerto with the Polish Chamber Philharmonic (Cond.: Wojciech Rajski) in the abbey of Brauweiler

"The highlight was Ludwig van Beethoven's famous Violin Concerto… Ariadne Daskalakis unfolded a soulful, intimate, melting tone, whose bewitching beauty commanded the listeners' attention in spite of the open-air conditions... Ariadne Daskalakis attacked the Rondo with commanding form"

Hanna Styrie, Kölnische Rundschau, 20 August 2007

Baroque Music as an Experience: "Selva della Musica Köln" at "Tag des offenen Denkmals" in the Fürstensaal

[...] Ariadne Daskalakis highlighted the warm tone colors of her baroque violin, especially in the lower registers, and captivated the audience with her resonant double stops. The dialogue between the violin and the woodwinds was as light as a feather, with Daskalakis accentuating slightly more than her colleagues. [...]

Oberhessische Presse, September 2006

Festival "Sound Encounters" in Boston - "Best of the season"

"Performances were top-shelf wonderful, among the best heard all season. Festival organizers Carol Rodland and Michael Norsworthy, joined by Ariadne Daskalakis, Scott Kluksdahl and Max Levinson, played as if their very lives depended on it. All aspects of execution - pitch, tone, technique, pacing, interpretation - were flawless, as were chamber interaction and blend."

David Cleary, "new music connoisseur", June 2006

CD reviews are listed under Discography.

J.W. Kalliwoda – Recording of the month at Musicweb International

Ariadne Daskalakis is a rising star of the violin, and if she can play such obscure music as stirringly as she does here, I wonder what she’d do with Beethoven or Mozart. Her Biber Rosary Sonatas are a new release on BIS ... I am enthralled. These albums are re-writing music history.
(please see complete review)

B. Reinhart, August 2015