ABC (Spanish daily press)

Date: 09-03-98

Extracted from “El cuarteto Arriaga, con Shostakovich y Schönberg, trae esperanza al Auditorio”

The surprising maturity, in the musical sense, of first violin Felipe Rodriguez, is worthy of special mention. At the tender young age of 17 - replete with his own skills and original ideas- he was able to show enormous acumen when facing the challenging demands of Shostakovich.

 

La Opinión de Murcia (Spanish daily press)

Date: 18-02-04

Extracted from “Felipe Rodríguez, un violinista con indudable proyección”

This performance was not planned and its somewhat late announcement, among other reasons, may have been due to a reduction in the attending public. Nevertheless, one must congratulate the Auditorium for the idea -welcomed by the Asociación Pro-Música-of programming a performance by Felipe Rodríguez (born in Salamanca, and living with his family in Cartagena). I had previously been able to hear him an the Christmas concerts of the Saravasti Quartet and, in Cartagena, I heard him perform a very demanding "Sonata" by César Frank, and I realised that one was dealing with a young violinist whose acumen is fully backed up by his stay at the Reina Sofía Music School - which is strictly for elite players- where he was first violin of his string quartet. And then come his awards and performances, both inside Spain and abroad. And last, but not least, is his admission to the Symphony Orchestra of Malaga. If not already sufficiently proven, his acceptance there undermines the fallacy of the idea used here to form a modest orchestra: i.e., the mistaken idea that good musicians with sufficient mettle and personality to gain a position through a public exam, and who therefore do not have to spend their lives giving thanks to someone, will simply leave.

The beginning of the program (Adagio and Fugue of Sonata 1 in G minor for solo violin,; BWV 1001 by J.S.Bach; Capricci nº 19 and nº 24, Op. 1, by Paganini and Capriccio, by J. Rodrigo) was for the solo violin, and the rest (Sonata Pimpante for piano and violin, by J. Rodrigo; Sonata for violin and piano nº 2 in G. major, by Ravel -and not Sonata for violin and piano [posthumous], as announced on the audience sheet-, although the movements coincided with those of the performance, and Carmen Fantasy by Frank Waxman, who died in 1967 and not in 1964 as seen in the notes to the program) was for both violin and piano, the latter featuring the excellent pianist Ireneusz Jagla.

There was solemnity and emotion for the Adagio, and spirit for the Fugue of a sober and balanced Bach, before the risk of the diabolical difficulties of Paganini was undertaken with daring and gusto. After an imaginative and confident performance of Rodrigo, Ravel was tackled, in which the two instruments merged, contrasted each other, and combined to offer a clear difference as regards expression and timbre with magnificent performances, and -in the pastoral of the Allegretto- a characterful interpretation; in the "jazzistic" sense of the “Blues" using all possible resources, sounds, timbre variability and sound colours. And then there was the fugocity evoked by the Perpetuum mobile and the passion, with considerable virtuosity, developed by the artists in Waxman.

F. Rodriguez, at his 21 years of age, is a soundly-based violinist with a very high level of musical capabilities and -if circumstances are favourable- these should combine to offer him great promise for the future. He has technique; he knows his music, and he is sensitive. He has rhythm, and produces high-class music, whose "colours” he handles in a suggestive and innovative way. He is expressive and has the artistic temperament guaranteed to confer quality to his production. Both he and I. Jagla -an excellent pianist who offers a broad coverage and collaborative accampaniment- were proud to receive the applause of the audience and were willing to repeat the last movement of Ravel’s Sonata.

 

La Verdad (Spanish daily press)

Date: 25-02-04

Extracted from “Jóvenes Violinistas”

Starting from his very childhood, Felipe Rodríguez was able to enchant his listeners with the piece entitled “Zapateado” by Sarasate. I say this in passing, because at his now enviable twenty-two years of age he has grown into a fully fledged international violinist.

His recital confirmed his extraordinary talent to face up to the challenges of pieces, ranging from the “Primera Sonata” of J.S Bach (it was a shame that we were unable to listen to the whole of it) to the virtuoso demands of Waxman’s phantasy of the themes of Bizet’s “Carmen”, passing through — to an open-mouthed audience — the incredibly complicated music of Rodrigo or Ravel’s “Sonata”. In all this, Felipe Rodríguez was accomnanied by the excellent performance of Ireneusz Jagla.

 

Yahoo! News (Europa Press)

Date: 02-04-04

Extracted from "Angel Sanzo, en Piano, y Felipe Rodríguez, en Violín, ganadores del II Concurso Internacional de Música Joaquín Rodrigo"

The Spanish musicians Angel Sanzo (born Antequera, Málaga, 1973 ) and Felipe Rodriguez ( born Salamanca, 1982 ) have been selected as first-prize winners in piano and violin, respectively, in the 2nd “Joaquín Rodrigo” International Music Award by the Spanish ONCE ( Spanish National Association for the Care and Protection of the Blind). Each will receive a monetary award of 12.000, plus the opportunity to offer concerts and recitals abroad, also promoted by the ONCE.

SPECIAL AWARDS

A Series of special awards has also been given:
Award to the best interpreter, endowed by the “Victoria and Joaquin Rodrigo” Foundation with 4.500Euros, with the possibility of opting for further awards to Felipe Rodriguez for his violin performance ; he also received the award for the best Spanish participant in the Final or Semi-final awarded by RTVE (Spanish Radio and T.V.), at 1.500 Euros.

The Catalonian conductor Antoni Ros Marbá and the French composer Graciane Finzi were the Presidents of the panels for violin and piano respectively.

Tonight, those awarded are to offer a Gala Concert at the “ Teatro Monumental de Madrid “, which will be accompanied at the end by a contribution from the Symphonic Orchestra of Spanish Radio and T.V., after which the different prizes will be awarded.

 

Fuente: Diario de León

Fecha: 6 de diciembre de 2004

Acariciando la perfección

Ros Marbá y la Real Filharmonía de Galicia ofrecieron en el Auditorio toda una lección de equilibrio y pulcritud junto a un genio del violín, el jovencísimo músico Felipe Rodríguez.

(...) La Habanera de Saint-Säens que siguió, tuvo en el violinista salmantino Felipe Rodríguez su protagonista de excepción.El joven charro es dueño de una técnica y un virtuosismo apabullantes, por lo que, unidos a su juventud, pueden significar el preludio - y lo digo por su juventud, no por sus modos ya de veterano-, de una impresionante y vertiginosa carrera.Utilizando todos los recursos de un instrumento demasiado frágil en sus robustas manos, Felipe hizo vibrar al respetable con toda la serie de sutilezas técnicas e instrumentales que desplegó a base de dobles cuerdas, notas picadas*, y ese lirismo conmovedor que emana de toda la partitura y que él lo desgranó a base de sensibilidad en esas frases maravillosas ahítas de fuego y poesía.Un descubrimiento fantástico.La tercera obra de la primera parte estuvo dedicada a la Tzigane de Ravel, una pieza de exhibión dedicada a la violinista húngara Jelly d'Aranyi, y con la que su colega salmantino tuvo la mejor performance de la noche.

Tras una breve introducción sensual y soñadora del violín solo, pasó a frases ásperas, agresivas y rechinantes.Esta obra encierra todas las trampas posibles para un virtuoso: pizzicatos, armónicos rápidos, bruscos cambios de ritmo y toda suerte de sutilezas que el solista supo sortear con esa facilidad que sólo los verdaderos virtuosos poseen.

Fue toda una lección de lo que se puede lograr hacer con un instrumento echo para deleitar. (...)

 

Fuente: The New Zealand Herald

Fecha: 8 de Junio de 2005

(...) Sin embargo, estoy bastante impresionado por algunas piezas de la música, incluso aquéllas procedentes de músicos que no van a entrar en los seis últimos. Casos ejemplares de estas piezas fueron el lánguido Bach o el Mozart con tintes modernos tocados por Rodriguez García (...)