DANIEL MATEJČA
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Shostakovich, Prokofiev: Violin Concertos
Daniel Matejča – violin, Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, Tomáš Netopil
SU4370-2, release date 3rd October 2025
Exciting music by Shostakovich and Prokofiev played by a violinist of the new generation
In 2022, it was with Shostakovich’s First Violin Concerto that Daniel Matejča, 17 years old at the time, triumphed at the competition Eurovision Young Musicians. Reviewers at journals including Gramophone, BBC Music Magazine, and Classica enthusiastically compared his Supraphon debut album of the complete sonatas for solo violin by Eugène Ysaÿe (2023) with recordings made by today’s star violinists. It was clear that after that solo album, Matejča would soon return to the studio to record Shostakovich’s First Concerto. The composer wrote it in 1947/48 for David Oistrakh. Shostakovich, however, had been labelled a “formalist”, and his prominent use of Jewish musical motifs was another obstacle under the antisemitic Soviet regime, so the premiere of this exciting work was postponed until after Stalin’s death. Sergei Prokofiev worked on his First Violin Concerto intermittently between 1914 and 1917. Full of contrasting passages, the work differs sharply from Shostakovich’s dramatic concerto. Daniel Matejča is in his element in both concertos, playing with stirring energy and technical virtuosity, expressing a wide range of emotions, ranging from rawness to delicacy and captivating depth. The conductor Tomáš Netopil is an experienced accompanist in the best sense of the word, shaping the orchestra’s sound with a wide range of dynamic and colours, but above all keeping in perfect step with the soloist as he tells his story. The recording also features sound of extraordinary colour, presence, and spatial plasticity.
Dmitri Shostakovich – Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 77, Sergei Prokofiev – Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major, Op. 19
bio
Daniel Matejča, born in Liberec on 30th April 2005, started playing violin at the age of 4 under the guidance of his mum Olesie Volickova. After one year he joined the class of Prof. Ivan Straus and has been studying with him up to now.
His significant achievements include 1st prizes at Josef Muzika International Violin Competition between 2013–2017 (2014 – the special prize – the master instrument of Tomas Pilar) and the absolute winner of School of Art Competition in 2017. As the winner of the Kocian Violin Competition between 2016 and 2018 he appeared as the guest on many concerts. In 2019 he became a laureate of the Kocian Violin Competition. He is also a holder of the prize “Zlaty orisek” 2017. In 2019 he took the 1st place at Jugend Musiziert Competition in Halle. He also played Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto backed by Liberec Symphonic Orchestra at the F. X. Salda theatre in Liberec. In 2020 he won the 1st prize at the International Georg Philipp Telemann Violin Competition in Poznan. In the same year he took the 2nd place at the international competition Concertino Praga when he performed Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 1 with the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra. He recorded the same concerto with the Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Pardubice in May 2021. In 2021 he was accepted to study at The Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. He also studied at Imola music Academy with Maurizio Scirarretta, he had lessons with Boris Belkin there as well. In 2021 he also won a TV competition Virtuosos V4+. In 2022 he won the Eurovision Young Talents.
In the same year he recorded 6 Ysaÿe sonatas for the Supraphon label, the album was released in the beginning of the year 2023. Month after the release date the recording became the best selling album of classical music in the Czech Republic. This album got positive feedback in magazines such as BBC Music Magazine or Gramophone and was compared to a recording of these sonatas from Hilary Hahn. Together with Jan Schulmeister (pianist) he managed to take the 1st place in the chambre category of Concertino Praga. In 2024 he was selected as a part of project 30 under 30 by the Forbes magazine and finished his bachelor studies along many concerts around the world. He also recieved the Josef Hlávka prize. In 2025 he made his debut with Czech Philharmonic. In this year he released an album together with Jan Schulmeister, recorded for Supraphon. Right after the release the album has been called Album of the week by Europadisc. He takes part in concerts all over the world – France, Italy, Austria, Germany, UAE, Turkey, Poland, Singapore, Japan etc.
Daniel presents himself at different violin classes including music classes in Litomysl, Liberec International Violin Academy, Imola Summer Fest in Italy or International Music Academy Orpheus in Vienna. At these international classes he collaborates with foreign professors such as Stephen Schipps, Simon James or Michael Frischenschlager. He took part in masterclasses under the guidance of Jiri Vodicka, Christian Tetzlaff or Augustin Hadelich.
concerts
March 19, 2026, 7 pm
House of Culture, Teplice, Czech Republic
Graduation Recital with the North Czech Philharmonic
April 4, 2026, 7 pm
Smiřice Music Festival, Chapel of the Epiphany, Smiřice, Czech Republic
Concert with Jan Schulmeister – piano
April 8, 2026
Martinů Hall, HAMU, Prague, Czech Republic
Jakub William Gráf’s Graduation Recital
Suk Quartet
April 9, 2026, 7:30 pm
Prague Spring Festival, St. Lawrence Church, Czech Republic
Suk Quartet
April 18, 2026, 7 pm
Foerster’s Days, House of Culture Libáň, Czech Republic
Suk Quartet
May 29, 2026, 7:30 pm
Festival Concentus Moraviae, Castle Lysice, Czech Republic
Suk Quartet
June 11, 2026, 8 pm
Festival Kutná Hora, Church of Virgin Mary Na Náměti, Czech Republic
Dmitry Shostakovich
June 12, 2026, 8 pm
Festival Kutná Hora, St. Barbara’s Cathedral, Czech Republic
Felix Mendelssohn
June 13, 2026, 8 pm
Festival Kutná Hora, St. Barbara’s Cathedral, Czech Republic
Johann Strauss
June 18, 2026, 6 pm
Festival Concentus Moraviae, Castle Kroměříž, Czech Republic
Suk Quartet
September 15, 2026
Dvořák Hall, Rudolfinum, Prague, Czech Republic
Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, conductor Elias Grandy
October 18, 2026
Concertino Praga, Dvořák Hall, Rudolfinum, Prague, Czech Republic
Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, conductor Robert Kružík
discography
Suk, Martinů, Fišer: Works for Violin and Piano
Daniel Matejča – violin, Jan Schulmeister – piano
SU4361-2, release date 20th June 2025
Josef Suk (1874-1935) – Four Pieces for Violin and Piano, Op. 17 (1900). Bohuslav Martinů (1890-1959) – Czech Rhapsody for Violin and Piano, H. 307 (1945), Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Piano, H. 182 (1929). Luboš Fišer (1935-1999) – The Hands. Sonata for Violin and Piano (1961)
The Supraphon debut of 18-year-old Daniel Matejča (Ysaÿe – Violin Sonatas, 2023) has attracted great attention with critics around the world writing about his remarkable talent, comparing his recording with the very best. That same year, the 17-year-old pianist Jan Schulmeister came away from Texas with third prize at the prestigious Cliburn Junior Competition. And also that year, the Matejča – Schulmeister duo celebrated victory in the chamber music category at the competition Concertino Praga; that opened them the door to the studio for the making of this recording. Instead of brilliant, virtuosic show pieces, the young artists chose challenging Czech repertoire of the 20th century with pivotal works by Suk, Martinů, and Luboš Fišer. Martinů composed his Czech Rhapsody in the USA just after the end of the Second World War for Fritz Kreisler, who was 70 years old by then. Even today, this beautiful composition is a great technical challenge for the soloist. Martinů’s First Violin Sonata (1929) still belongs to the composer’s Paris period, as can be seen from jazz elements and the sometimes impressionistic mood of the piano part. The third composer, Luboš Fišer, is known mainly in his homeland, but his music also earned international awards (UNESCO prize, Prix d’Italia). His violin sonata The Hands was originally supposed to have been titled Crux, but that was completely unacceptable during the period of harsh communist rule. In the words of Ivan Štraus, who premiered the sonata, “…the composition could be interpreted as a loose depiction of the Stations of the Cross at Easter with dramatic moments of whipping, hatred, and anxiety followed by a funeral procession (pizzicato) and then the glorious Resurrection in the concluding apotheosis to the sound of bells.”
Eugène Ysaÿe: Six Sonatas for Solo Violin
SU4313-2, release date 21.4.2023
Eugène Ysaÿe (1858-1931) – Six Sonatas for Solo Violin, Op. 27 (1923). Released to mark the centenary of the work. Jana Vöröšová (b. 1980) – Obsession II (inspired by Eugène Ysayë’s sonatas, and composed for the present recording)
“The artist’s first task is to forget himself.” This statement, bold in its time, has been ascribed to Eugène Ysaÿe, referred to as the “King of the Violin”, who as a composer and performer considerably contributed to the modernisation of violin playing. In 1923, he was so deeply impressed by J. S. Bach’s Violin Sonata No. 1 in G minor, BWV 1001, as performed by Joseph Szigeti, that within a few hours (!) he sketched a set of six sonatas as a counterpart to Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas, BWV 1001-1006. Ysaÿe dedicated each of his sonatas to a superb contemporary violinist, tailoring it to his style. Technically reaching the limits of the instrument, the pieces placed enormous requirements on the dedicatees (Szigeti, Thibaud, Enescu, Kreisler, Crickboom, Quiroga), yet they remain challenging for the violinists of today. One hundred years after Ysaÿe created the set of six sonatas, this formidable task has been undertaken by the outstanding young Czech virtuoso Daniel Matejča, the winner of the Eurovision Young Musicians competition (2022), Telemann Violin Competition (Poznan 2020) and Jugend musiziert (Halle 2019). Matejča studied with such distinguished violinists as Boris Belkin and Christian Tetzlaff, and, after collaborating to acclaim with the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, has been invited to perform with other renowned orchestras. Supraphon has shifted the 100-year-old concept to the 21st century and commissioned a composition that would reflect Ysaÿe’s sonatas, as well as young violinists’ musicality and virtuosity. Jana Vöröšová’s Obsession II is both answer and challenge.
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reviews
“Dès le Nocturne du Concerto n° 1 de Chostakovitch, le lyrisme irradiant de Daniel Matejca trouve ses marques. Le violoniste tchèque phrase long et sa sonorité présente une chaleur égale sur toute la tessiture, jusque dans le haut du registre. Le Scherzo cingle comme rarement et, tel les grands aînés, il empoigne la Passacaille sans s’alanguir, laissant l’orchestre seul enchaîner le début du Moderato après la formidable cadence. Partout ce jeu enlevé, à l’expression jamais forcée, nous captive.”
Diapason, April 2026
“Matejča’s Prokofiev is different from the many others I’m familiar with, and I really like it… His Violin Concerto No. 1 – his No. 2 as well – is filled with such episodes, and Matejča capitalizes on them in ways that make them really stand out. In this he has the cooperation of Tomáš Netopil who leads the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra in a clockwork-like, synergistic relationship with the soloist… No one should be allowed to play with such jaw-dropping velocity while simultaneously maintaining absolute coordination between fingers and bow, surgical precision and cleanness of attack, quality of tone, and perfect intonation. I tremble to say it, but in Daniel Matejča, Oistrakh may have met his match. Urgently recommended.”
Fanfare, January 2026
“While authenticity of experience may be lacking from a soloist only recently turned 20, there’s no want of passion and commitment in pieces that have played a key role in his personal story. Technically speaking Matejča is eye-wateringly good and as an interpreter never short of original ideas… Tomáš Netopil is at one with his soloist, highlighting points of orchestral colour and ‚special effects‘… Strongly recommended unless you are determined to reject music-making imbued with youthful energy, clarity and playfulness.”
Gramophone, December 2025
“L’archet léger enchante dès les premières mesures du Prokofiev, serti dans l’orchestre arachnéen tissé par Tomáš Netopil… Contre toute attente les ténèbres de Chostakovitch les inspireront autrement : l’orchestre d’abord, si sombre, si acre, si impérieux dans la grande machinerie du Scherzo comme dans la proclamation funèbre de la Passacaille, mais le violoniste aussi, ouvrant sa sonorité vers le sombre, élargissant les phrasés, et allant au feu du Finale sans ciller. Remarquable, à classer à Chostakovitch.”
Artalinna, December 2025
“…on this new disc you can hear their preternaturally intelligent musicality deployed in repertoire that is, for the most part, relatively little represented on record… Matejča rises splendidly to the music’s many dazzling technical challenges, but also imbues the more reflective passages with a depth and richness of tone that never tips over into the cloying… it is to be hoped that he and Schulmeister will return with more 20th-century Czech treasures soon, for this is one of the most satisfying, thoughtful and imaginatively realised recital discs we have heard this year.”
Europadisc – Album of the Week, July 2025
“These artists give a rich yet clear rendition, with plenty of passion, intensity and a rhythmically punchy delivery, alternating with lean non-vibrato and pared-away introspection. There are moments where the music hints at softer Romanticism before returning to the charged invective, adeptly negotiated by this duo… Matejča and Schulmeister evoke a natural melodic line within these changing metres, yet allow the fervour to cool in more reflective moments, all delivered with brilliant virtuosity. Impressive.”
The Strad, August 2025
“When I last reviewed Fiser’s Sonata ‘The Hands’, over a decade ago, I called it a masterpiece… Matejča and Schulmeister’s performance is admirable… it’s a work you should hear and at only eleven minutes it will reward your interest. These young musicians have constructed a fine disc… which has been well recorded and annotated. It serves notice of yet another excellent pairing in the Czech firmament…”
MusicWeb International, August 2025
“Avec la sensibilité de ses vingt ans, Matejca assume tout le poids de ce chant de douleur, hiératique et déchirant. Il peut ici compter sur le soutien sans faille du piano d’airain de Jan Schulmeister. Lin duo à suivre.”
Diapason, November 2025
“Young Czech Daniel Matejča, winner of Eurovision Young Musician 2022, picks up the baton for the next generation in this bold, impressive set. In general, Matejča favours clarity over fantasy, swinging into the opening G minor Sonata with penetrating focus and a well-controlled line… Matejča’s ‘Malinconia’ is poignant in its sheer simplicity, and there’s a heroic glitter to the ‘Les furies’ finale.”
BBC Music Magazine, June 2023
“Still only a teenager, the Czech violinist Daniel Matejča has already won a number of prestigious music competitions. His set of the Sonatas is very clearly focused, brilliant yet never flashy… In the Ballade Third Sonata, he seems acutely mindful of the music’s heated emotional climate and potentially wide dynamic range… He also does wonderfully well by the Kreislerian Fourth Sonata’s finale, with its carpal twists and turns.”
Gramophone, September 2023
“The standout of the three is Czech teenager (b. 2005) Daniel Matejca’s. He is strikingly beautiful of tone and fine of balance (in the innumerable double-stops, each string gets equal weight)… All three recordings are excellent on the technical side, with differences as noted… But I’d still go with Matejca, for the sheer beauty of sound and delivery.”
American Record Guide, August 2023
“Daniel Matejca, a mere 18 years old, is far beyond his years in technical prowess and his gifts of musical interpretation… I was struck by the clarity of tone, and as I studied the score along with the recording, I was amazed at how, well, musical his interpretation is. Matejca is observant of the hemiolic rhythms peppered throughout the first sonata, and carefully, musically shapes the lines that effortlessly (on paper anyway) melt into one another. Matejca makes even the most improvisatory passages of these works sound carefully controlled, with a sense of being and purpose stamped on every note… This is a revelatory performance by a startlingly talented young virtuoso – I can’t wait to see what he does next.”
Fanfare, September 2023
“Fart d’une superbe maestria et d’une dynamique très sensuelle, le jeune Tchèque affiche un véritable goût du risque et fait preuve autant d’imagination que de charme (Ballade), offrant partout un parfum de liberté et un bel instinct des climats (Les Furies, L’Aurore). Avec une impressionnante aisance instrumentale, mais sans exhibitionnisme déplacé, son jeu affiche une intégrité stylistique qui témoigne déjà d’une belle maturité et force l’attention… Un talent à suivre.”
Classica, October 2023
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