Queen Elisabeth Competition: Cello 2017 (Live)

Victor Julien-Laferrière was just 26 when, in 2017, he won the Queen Elisabeth Competition’s very first cello contest. This recording of his performances as he progressed through the competition’s stages shows a musician of remarkable maturity and astounding technical assuredness. He impresses both as soloist with a major symphony orchestra and as chamber partner in Brahms’ Second Cello Sonata—a work that demands, and gets, precision of ensemble and deep emotional empathy. Julien-Laferrière’s Shostakovich, meanwhile, is searing, biting and utterly gripping.