"Wolfgang Wölfer, a wonderful musician" (Yehudi Menuhin)

"He is unique as a violist and pedagogue" (Ryutaro Iwabuchi, former President of Japanese Association of String Teachers)

"Playing romantic string sextets with him was a great artistic experience" (Natasha Korsakova)

"I highly appreciate him as a violist, for he is an ideal partner in musical and technical aspects" (Zakhar Bron)

"Clarinettists like to play the two sonatas op. 120 by Brahms as often as they can, whereas there are only a few recordings with the viola. Bashmet's or N. Imai's recordings are well known, but through Wolfgang Wölfer's viola playing we are able to discover a completely new attraction in these works. The scope and texture of the viola's sound are naturally different from those of the violin. The viola has the image of being an unobtrusive, unsophisticated instrument, as it were an interim voice of the violin and cello. This is probably the reason why we do not feel any real connection to the viola. 

In contrast, Wölfer's viola has a unique sound, a sound which is as clear and brilliant as on a violin but at the same time having the unmistakable sound of a viola, which cannot be produced on a violin. Using this sound, he sings and speaks in an indescribably gentle and elegant manner. The frequent description of the sound of a viola as "glowing like old silver" cannot be applied to Wölfer's sound. This sound is like stroking silk. And the way the cantabile themes are expressed is indescribably charming.

The way the viola and piano play in ensemble here is perfect and thus extremely stable" (Akira Hirano, The Record Geijutsu, Tokyo 2003)

"If I could play the viola, I would do it the same way."

(Kazue Moteki, music critic, about Wolfgang Wölfer's Bach recording, Ongaku Gendai, Japan, 2016)

Clicky

Clicky

Clicky

Clicky

Clicky

Clicky

Clicky