Press

  • “From the opening notes, Rachlin conjured a golden sound from the orchestra, a quality not many guest conductors have achieved. Most try to impose their interpretation on Mozart’s music; with Rachlin, both the sound and energy seem to come from within, emerging organically, radiant and thrilling. The effect was captivating.”
    Bachtrack, 2022
  • “Rachlin is a wonder to watch and a thrill to hear. He brought electrifying precarity from one acrobatic solo to the next; his cadenza teased time itself. In the second movement, his reading – more of a telling – was lyrical and wonderfully expressive, wandering into sublime conversation with the woodwinds. In the vivacissimo of the Allegro, a thread of melody must stay intact while simultaneously catching fire: Rachlin lit it like a fuse. He made the final movement’s dance passages rapturous, Noseda bouncing on the podium, gathering building currents in his arms. He beautifully navigated the concerto’s famous hire-wire act and the sombre pre-departure solo. But it was his final sprint – the frenzy of those last two minutes – where the temperature of the room went up a couple of degrees, followed by a trio of ovations.”
    The Washington Post, 2022
  • “Under Rachlin’s baton, Mozart’s ‘Jupiter’ symphony offered an impressive demonstration of how a masterwork can be both powerful and elegant. In a clean, crisp rendering, Rachlin found lyricism, drama, and a compelling rhythm in the third movement that propelled the piece to a smart, sharp finish. The evening ended with enthusiastic applause from both sides of the podium, with the musicians just as charged as the audience. No surprise – the chemistry onstage was tangible.”
    Bachtrack, 2022
  • “Triple-threat Julian Rachlin – violinist, violist, and conductor – led the Chicago Symphony in two substantial Mozart works in an enticing programme that also featured early Beethoven and some lesser-known Tchaikovsky. In Mozart’s ‘Linz’ Symphony, Rachlin was a sensitive leader throughout, providing gentle inflections, and offering direction that was fitfully workmanlike yet never heavy-handed. The ponderous slow introduction had the requisite gravitas, and the Allegro spiritoso vigour to spare.”
    Chicago Classical Review, 2022
  • “A performance marked by equal parts grace and zeal. The Lithuanian violinist played with bright, beaming tone that had just enough weight for Mendelssohn’s soaring lines. Crafted in long arcs, his first-movement melodies unspooled into double-stops and wide leaps, which he handled with aplomb. Rachlin’s cadenza also had a live-wire intensity. In the second movement, like silver thread, Rachlin’s melody spun its way around the soft harmonies played by the orchestra. The final movement was nimble, and Rachlin built momentum to a virtuosic coda where phrases seemed to dart in every direction.”
    Boston Classical Review, 2019
  • “Rachlin lit up with virtuosic restraint, still more humanity pouring out of his violin…. Out of this world playing, ingenious in concept and execution.”
    The Boston Musical Intelligencer, 2019