“…much to admire in the sweetness and clarity of his tone

and the breath of his sympathies from Bach to Debussy …” 

                                                                     

                                                                     London The Times

                                                                           Stephen Walsh _______________________________________________________

 

“It should  be  said  with  emphasis  that  de Jonge’s  violin  

playing demonstrated exceptional dignity  from the begin-

ning to the end…with his beautiful tone  near virginal sere-

nety…. very  admirable as technical  and  musical  achieve-

ment…”

                                                     The Hague – Het Vaderland

                                                                 Jan van Voorthuizen

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“...he handled the [Carnegie Hall]  program with commen-

dable  professional competence… his generally sweet and

centered tone was attractive…”

                                                                The New York Times

                                                                           Peter G. Davis

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“…concertmaster Frits de Jonge had the spotlight  for  the

performance  of  Bela  Bartok’s  posthumously  published

Concerto  for  Viola and Orchestra.  De Jonge’s  solo work

reminded us of the weight and depth of emotion of which

the viola  is capable of,  especially when played with such 

intensity,  purity of  tone,  and  authoritative technique.  A  

dazzling performance, accompanied with restraint and a               firm hand by Anderson and the members of the CPO.

 

                                                      Columbia, SC – The State

                              William W. Starr, Cultural Affairs Editor

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“Bartok is a bonanza on any program, but Frits de Jonge’s

artistry as soloist in  the  Concerto for Viola and Orchestra

was particularly exciting.  This is inherently a  showy work

if only because of the virtuosity required…In the first mov-            ement the instrument spoke, in the second it sang, and in             the third it whirled.  The orchestra handled the work’s  po-            lyrhythms and tonalities facilely and helped to make  this,              without question the most moving work of the program.”

                                                             

                                                              The Columbia Record

                                                                       Diane L. Farmer

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“de Jonge  played  the  [Bruch] concerto  admirably,  with

flair  and  excellent technique.  His  poetic  interpretation

and beautiful mellow tone in the second movement earn-

ed him a well deserved standing ovation after the conclu-

clusion of this popular concerto.”

                                                        O Jornal (Rio de Janeiro)

                                                                                    J. Souza

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“A very competent violinist  with  fine technique  and  ap-

pealing  stage  presence.  De  Jonge played  the   popular

[Mendelssohn]  concerto admirably,  producing  a  sweet

sound which came  across  particularly well in  the  slow

movement.His craftsmanship also was impressive in the

fast movements…. The orchestra,  in  a  clear supporting

role, took special care not  to  overpower the soloist and

handled its melodious  accompaniment  with  a  delicate

restraint,  under  the  baton  of   Conductor  Joseph Haw-

thorne.  The audience  applauded  the concerto  enthusi-

astically  and  called DeJonge back on stage for five cur-

tain calls, with  the orchestra joining in applauding him.”

 

                                                                        Duluth Herald

                                                                           Walter Eldot

 

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​

“Intensive and fluid”

“…...Monday, the Pro Musica  Orchestra, directed by Pal

Wallrabenstein, presented  their  concert  to  an almost

overflowing crowd. Frits de Jonge  demonstrated supe-

rior soloistic leadership  in  the Violin Concerto in D Ma-

jor, KV 218,  which  followed.  He controlled  his  perfor-

mance  with a very beautiful and mellow tone.  Despite

his love  for  detail,  de Jonge  was  able  to spin out the

the long phrases.The high point came in the somewhat

un-Mozartean cadenzas.”

                                                  Westfalische Nachrichten 

                                                            Munster (Germany)

                                                             Andreas Weitkamp

​

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“Pro Musica Orchestra of Munster in

Guest appearance at the Dionyxus Hall”

"The congenial virtuoso Frits de Jonge was equal to the

demands of Mozart’s Concerto for Violin and Orchestra

in D Major, KV 218… In this concerto,  which  is  equally

loved by  soloists  and  the public,  he  beguiled  us with

stupendous  finger  dexterity   and  a   polished  bowing

technique. The  motives  could always  be followed and

the cadenzas were brilliant with rich and singing tone..

Soloist  and  orchestra  melted  together  into  a  unifid

sound, a  musette led  into  brilliantly played runs, and

mighty chords with difficult double stops dispelled the

dance-like Parisian elegance.”

                                                              Rheiner Volksblatt

                                                               Rheine (Germany)

 

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“De Jonge exemplified powerful command of his instru-

ment and of his audience with his viola performance of

Bach’s Chaconne from the D minor partita  for solo vio-

lin.  The technically  demanding  use  of  multiple  stops

combined with single  melodic lines created the illusion

of  full  harmonic  texture   and   a   contrapuntal  inter-

change of voices.  De Jonge  articulated  each  voice so

distinctly that the listener could detect the mellowness

characteristic  of  the  cello,   the  brilliance  associated

with the violin  and  the unique depth  produced by the

viola.   De Jonge’s virtuous versatility on the viola once

again,  produced  a variety of string textures, addition-

nal proof  of his indisputable artistic  and technical ex-

pertise.”

                                           Charleston (SC) Evening Post

                                                                       Muff Graham

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“Mozart’s  Concerto  No 4  in  D  Major  –  the master’s

most famous concerto for violin – was the piece de re-

sistance of the [Columbia Philharmonic Orchestra] pro-

gram featuring Frits de Jonge….This work is a bravura

piece for the violinist and de Jonge left no doubt in the

minds of his audience that he is a young performer of

undoubted promise. His technique was masterful and

his virtuosity was evident in some of the most deman-

ding passages...”

                                                  The State (Columbia, SC)

                               Edgar Brown, Cultural affairs editor

 

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“….de Jonge  performed  creditably.  He  is  a  polished,

controlled performer, who interprets  and  delivers his

 music carefully.   De Jonge  and  Fugo handled the ex-

hausting  assignment  with  power  and  expertise and

had a  reserve  that stayed with them during a delight-

ful reception honoring  the  artists  following  the  con-

cert.”

                                             The Georgetown (SC) Times

                                                                           Allen Zack

 

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