Born in 1953 in London into a family of distinguished musicians, Raphael Wallfisch is one of the most celebrated cellists of his generation. His father is the pianist Peter Wallsfisch and his mother the cellist Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, one of the last known surviving members of the Women’s Orchestra of Auschwitz.
Inspired at an early age by hearing Zara Nelsova play, Raphael Wallfisch started studying the cello. He was taught by fine teachers like Amadeo Baldovino, Derek Simpson and Amaryllis Fleming. Studying with the great Russian cellist Gregor Piatigorsky, he was chosen to perform chamber music with Jascha Heifetz in the informal recitals held at his master’s home.
In 1977 he won the International Gaspar Cassadó Cello Competition in Florence. Since then, Raphael Wallfisch has enjoyed a worldwide career playing with many great British orchestras such as the English Chamber Orchestra, the BBC Symphony, the London Philharmonic, the City of Birmingham Symphony, the Hallé Orchestra, the London Symphony and Philharmonia Orchestra. He has also played with the Berlin Symphony, the Leipzig Gewandhaus and the Westdeutscher Rundfunk in Germany, the Warsaw Philharmonic in Poland, the Czech Philharmonic in Czechia, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Indianapolis Symphony in the USA and many others.
Raphael Wallfisch is regularly invited to play at major festivals, such as the BBC Proms, Aldeburgh, Edinburgh, Prades, Oslo, Spoleto and Schleswig Holstein.
He has recorded almost every major work of the cello repertoire. His extensive discography explores both the mainstream concerto repertoire and a great many lesser-known works, including pieces by Samuel Barber, Ernest Bloch, William Busch, Ernő Dohnányi, Antonín Dvořák, Paul Hindemith, Dmitry Kabalevsky, Aram Khachaturian, Bohuslav Martinů, Maurice Ravel, Ottorino Respighi, Robert Schumann, Dmitri Shostakovich, Richard Strauss, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Alexander von Zemlinsky.
Rapahel Wallfisch has recorded a wide range of British cello concerto, including works by Arnold Bax, Arthur Bliss, Benjamin Britten, Frederick Delius, Gerald Finzi, Kenneth Leighton, James MacMillan, Ernest John Moeran and William Walton. For the Chandos Walton Edition he was chosen to record the Cello Concerto, which was originally written for Gregor Piatigorsky.
Many of Britain’s leading composers have written works especially for Raphael Wallfisch, including Peter Maxwell Davies, John Joubert, Kenneth Leighton, James MacMillan, John Metcalf, Paul Patterson, Robert Saxton, Robert Simpson, Roger Smalley, Giles Swayne, John Tavener and Adrian Williams.
Raphael Wallfisch plays a 1733 Domenico Montagnana “Ex-Romberg”, a 1760 Gennaro Gagliano and a modern cello built especially for him by Patrick Robin.
He is very demanded as a teacher all over the world and has been appointed to the faculties of the Musikhochschule Mainz and the Konservatorium Zürich Winterthur.
He lives in London with his wife, the Australian Baroque violinist Elizabeth Wallfisch. They have three children, the conductor and Hollywood composer Benjamin, the baritone and cellist Simon, and the vocalist Joanna.
Inspired at an early age by hearing Zara Nelsova play, Raphael Wallfisch started studying the cello. He was taught by fine teachers like Amadeo Baldovino, Derek Simpson and Amaryllis Fleming. Studying with the great Russian cellist Gregor Piatigorsky, he was chosen to perform chamber music with Jascha Heifetz in the informal recitals held at his master’s home.
In 1977 he won the International Gaspar Cassadó Cello Competition in Florence. Since then, Raphael Wallfisch has enjoyed a worldwide career playing with many great British orchestras such as the English Chamber Orchestra, the BBC Symphony, the London Philharmonic, the City of Birmingham Symphony, the Hallé Orchestra, the London Symphony and Philharmonia Orchestra. He has also played with the Berlin Symphony, the Leipzig Gewandhaus and the Westdeutscher Rundfunk in Germany, the Warsaw Philharmonic in Poland, the Czech Philharmonic in Czechia, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Indianapolis Symphony in the USA and many others.
Raphael Wallfisch is regularly invited to play at major festivals, such as the BBC Proms, Aldeburgh, Edinburgh, Prades, Oslo, Spoleto and Schleswig Holstein.
He has recorded almost every major work of the cello repertoire. His extensive discography explores both the mainstream concerto repertoire and a great many lesser-known works, including pieces by Samuel Barber, Ernest Bloch, William Busch, Ernő Dohnányi, Antonín Dvořák, Paul Hindemith, Dmitry Kabalevsky, Aram Khachaturian, Bohuslav Martinů, Maurice Ravel, Ottorino Respighi, Robert Schumann, Dmitri Shostakovich, Richard Strauss, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Alexander von Zemlinsky.
Rapahel Wallfisch has recorded a wide range of British cello concerto, including works by Arnold Bax, Arthur Bliss, Benjamin Britten, Frederick Delius, Gerald Finzi, Kenneth Leighton, James MacMillan, Ernest John Moeran and William Walton. For the Chandos Walton Edition he was chosen to record the Cello Concerto, which was originally written for Gregor Piatigorsky.
Many of Britain’s leading composers have written works especially for Raphael Wallfisch, including Peter Maxwell Davies, John Joubert, Kenneth Leighton, James MacMillan, John Metcalf, Paul Patterson, Robert Saxton, Robert Simpson, Roger Smalley, Giles Swayne, John Tavener and Adrian Williams.
Raphael Wallfisch plays a 1733 Domenico Montagnana “Ex-Romberg”, a 1760 Gennaro Gagliano and a modern cello built especially for him by Patrick Robin.
He is very demanded as a teacher all over the world and has been appointed to the faculties of the Musikhochschule Mainz and the Konservatorium Zürich Winterthur.
He lives in London with his wife, the Australian Baroque violinist Elizabeth Wallfisch. They have three children, the conductor and Hollywood composer Benjamin, the baritone and cellist Simon, and the vocalist Joanna.