Joseph is a very good young conductor. But what makes him special is his affinity with the classical repertoire of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven which is a rare gift. He makes music with utter honesty, no false gloss anywhere. He seems to have a wide repertoire handling new music with aplomb and in romantic music he shows passion which makes me suspect this may be his true world. There is depth of understanding and love of the music. What more do you want?

Mitsuko Uchida

 

In the two years during which I have frequently observed Joseph Wolfe at work in rehearsal and performance I have had my first assessment of him as musician and conductor more than amply justified time and time again. There is nothing showy about him, his approach to music making being based on a sound and wonderfully fluent stick technique and a profound knowledge of the score in hand. His insight is remarkable and to everything he touches he brings a vivid musical imagination and an individual view. The generalised, dull and shapeless performance which we all too often encounter is not for Joseph.

There is no doubt that in the training of an orchestra he brings much from his experience as a first rate violinist playing in orchestras and as the leader of two string quartets.In rehearsal he is punctilious in ensuring attention to detail and allowing nothing to go by which in his judgment is inadequate. He encourages players to go beyond what they think they are capable of and is never afraid to challenge and encourage. The second best has no place in his vocabulary.

The soloists with whom he has worked in recent years have nothing but praise for his accompaniment. They have found him full of ideas and when their joint approach has been settled they quickly realise how inspired and reliable he is. Everything agreed is in place and they feel totally secure with him.Joseph has demonstrated to me in the past two years that he is a musician of real talent, truly capable of going places and taking orchestras with him. As one musician who has often played with him put it, " music pours out of him and at every rehearsal there is a fresh revelation". This is so, and I have colossal faith in him. He has given me huge pleasure as well as making me think again about a lot of music.

Sir John Tooley

 

The minute Joseph Wolfe took the baton and began the rehearsal for La Clemenza di Tito in the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence 2011, I knew I could relax. His manner and style were easy, his conducting technique and understanding of the music well under control. Most of all he achieved that difficult task of assessing the room filled with cast members and a production already in the advanced stages of rehearsal and managing to agree to reasonable requests while being clear, easy to follow and positive. I appreciated his calmness and his understanding of Mozart's vocal challenges. He also has excellent rhythm. I recommend that Joseph be considered for any music he is interested in since he has musical integrity, sensitivity and leadership skills.

Sarah Connolly CBE

 

I met and worked with Joseph Wolfe last year at the Festival D`Aix En Provence where he did the musical preparation as assistant conductor on my production of La Clemenza do Tito, with the LSO. I found Joseph to be an outstanding musician and a collaborative and inspiring colleague. In his work with the cast, his attention to musical detail was tempered with an affable manner, an open mind and most importantly, open ears. He was also deeply interested in the process of production and I found him a great ally. I`d have no hesitation in working with Joseph again and similarly, no hesitation in recommending him to others.

David McVicar

 

Mr. Joseph Wolfe has conducted in the recent past several times for radio productions of Bayerischer Rundfunk and concerts. We engaged him with the Bamberger Symphoniker and the Bayerisches Landesjugendorchester. From a promising young conductor he has developed into a serious artist, who owns all the necessary skills for a great conducting career: he has musicality, perfect technique, fantastic ears and the personality to work with an orchestra as an eminently respectable leader. Bayerischer Rundfunk will be happy to invite him again and work together with him also in the future. We wish him all the best for his future development.

Wolfram Graul, Executive Producer

Music Production Dep., Bayerischer Rundfunk