Cellist _ Julius Berger

German cellist Julius Berger has been critically acclaimed for his technical perfection, his fascinatingly deep and meditative interpretations, infectious passion, and his spiritual joy in music-making. As one Los Angeles reviewer described it: "His cello sang like a man in love, at once demanding, then embracing the world with open arms."

Julius Berger has appeared as soloist with a number of major orchestras, including tours with the Bamberg Symphonic Orchestra, the Munich Chamber Orchestra and the Bavarian Radio Symphony, the Tokyo and Warsaw Philharmonic, Festival Strings Lucerne, the Israel Kibbutz Orchestra, iPalpiti Ensemble (U.S.A) and Korean Chamber Orchetra. He can be heard in Europe's major concert halls and in festivals such as Rheingau Musik, Berliner and Wiener Festwochen, Lockenhaus, Salzburg, Warsaw Autumn. Julius Berger and his wife, Hyun-Jung, premiered to great acclaim Zwei Wege (Two Paths), an original work composed by Sofia Gubaidulina for two cellos and orchestra at the Seoul International Festival and the Beethoven Fest Bonn. Further performances include the International Super Cello Festival Beijing (Boccherini Cello Concerto), Festival “Spannungen” with Lars Vogt, the Eckelshausener Musik Festival with Gidon Kremer, Music Alp Festival, Tignes (France), Festival de Musique, Conques (France), Festival Maulbronn, Enescu Festival (Romania) and the Asiago Festival (Italy). In North America, Mr. Berger has appeared in New York City (Frick Collection and Rockefeller University), at Yale, the National Gallery in DC, in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, and Montreal.

Julius Berger has dedicated a major part of his concert and recording activities to the rediscovery of the complete violoncello works of Luigi Boccherini and Leonardo Leo as well as the oldest works written for the cello: the Ricercari by Gabrieli and Antonni. He has gained world-wide praise for recordings of violoncello and piano works of Paul Hindemith, works of violoncello and orchestra by Bloch, Bruch, Dvorak, Strauss, Elgar and others, and as well contemporary works by Cage, Theodorakis, Hölszky and Gubaidulina.

Of his recorded Bach Suites, the Frankfurter Allgemeine said: “...call him a prophet of the cello... It is the other-worldly sound of his cello that needs to be experienced.” His 2016 recordings, Inspired by Bach and Inspired by Mozart on the Nimbus label, have again received overwhelming praise from the press, including, “Leaving aside the considerable musical beauty of this double program, it must rank as the most fascinating intellectual ventures of the year on disc.” (Huntley Dent, — Fanfare) His latest recording combines Psalmes with the music of Ernest Bloch. 

His partners on stage have included Eugen Jochum, Leonard Bernstein, Daniel Harding, Oliver Messiaen, Gidon Kremer, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Mstislav Rostropovich, Hermann Baumann, Bruno Canino, Norman Shetler and Ernst Wallfisch, to mention but a few.

Julius Berger studied with Walter Reichardt and Fritz Kiskalt at the Musikhochschule in Munich, with Antonio Janigro at Salzburg's Mozarteum, and with Zara Nelsova at the University of Cincinnati. In addition, he participated in a four weeks mastercourse with Mstislav Rostapovitch.

When he was not yet 30 years old, Berger was appointed to a professorship at the Musikhochschule in Würzburg, and has since held professorships at the Saarbrücken Musikhochschule, the Johannes Guttenberg University, Mainz and at the University of Augsburg. Since 1992 he has also been teaching at the International Summer Academy at Salzburg's Mozarteum. He directs festivals, he is president of the International Competition Markneukirchen, Germany, and served on the jury of numerous International Competitions.,

     Julius Berger is member of the prestigious Academy of Science in Mainz.

    His Book “Dewdros” was published in Korean translation in 2021.

    (“이슬의 소리를 들어라”, 풍월당)

    Julius Berger is a passionate photographer and writer of poems.

www.juliusberger.de