DANIEL MATEJČA

The talented young violin virtuoso Daniel Matejča (2005) is releasing his third album in quick succession on the Supraphon label. This time, he has recorded two distinctive works of 20th-century Russian music – Dmitri Shostakovich's First Violin Concerto and Sergei Prokofiev's First Violin Concerto. The recording was made in collaboration with the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Tomáš Netopil and will be released on 3 October 2025 on CD and in digital formats.

Dmitri Shostakovich's First Violin Concerto was composed in 1947–48 for David Oistrakh. At the time, the composer was labeled a "formalist," and the distinctive Jewish musical motifs became another burden in the anti-Semitic Soviet regime, so the premiere of this stirring work did not take place until after Stalin's death. The dramatic Shostakovich concerto is counterbalanced by the playful and contrasting First Violin Concerto by the young Sergei Prokofiev, which was composed intermittently between 1914 and 1917.

Daniel Matejča is in his element in both concertos – he plays with thrilling energy and virtuoso technique, moving across a wide range of emotions between rawness, delicacy, and captivating depth. The experienced Tomáš Netopil is an accompanying conductor in the best sense of the word: he shapes the sound of the orchestra in a rich palette of dynamics and colors, but above all, he accompanies the soloist every step of the way with his story. "It wasn't our first artistic encounter, and in the case of Shostakovich's violin concerto, we were able to draw richly from our shared concert experience. Daniel is an exceptionally evocative artistic personality; I like his naturalness, energy, and approach to interpretation, which is very close to my personal understanding of these serious works of violin literature," comments Tomáš Netopil on his collaboration with the young virtuoso.

Matejča said of his new album: "Today I am older, I understand Shostakovich's life complications a little better – but I will never (thank God) be able to fully comprehend the extent of the pain he left us in his music. For me, it is a unique, very powerful composition. The second piece I recorded for the album is Prokofiev's First Violin Concerto, which is brimming with beauty in contrast to a fair amount of sarcasm and even Soviet brutality. In my opinion, some parts of it are still unsurpassed in violin literature."



According to Matejča, both compositions play a key role in his musical and personal growth: "Both keep coming back into my life. That's one of the reasons why I decided to immortalize my contribution to Shostakovich and Prokofiev's message on my new album. It's a great honor and an important milestone for me."