Fantasies
Zlatomir Fung (cello), Richard Fu (piano)
Awards:
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Presto Recording of the Week, 25th April 2025
Fung’s tone is varied and secure, and he has a wide variety of attack and phrasing, from the tender to the aggressive, matching the changing moods of the music, coupled with a playful use of...
Fantasies
Zlatomir Fung (cello), Richard Fu (piano)
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Awards:
-
Presto Recording of the Week, 25th April 2025
Fung’s tone is varied and secure, and he has a wide variety of attack and phrasing, from the tender to the aggressive, matching the changing moods of the music, coupled with a playful use of...
About
The youngest musician ever to win the International Tchaikovsky Competition Cello Division, exciting American cellist Zlatomir Fung has collated an album of opera fantasies including Fantasy on Jenůfa which he arranged himself and a Fantasy written especially for him - Fantasia Carmèn - by composer Marshall Estrin. After extensive research Fung found these fantasies for cello used recognizable tunes from famous operas to create a free medley and that there are few rules beyond the pure expression of the composer’s personality, interests, and strengths as a cellist. But it's more unconventional elements reimagine the notion of the fantasy itself, proving that the genre’s possibilities are far from exhausted—and, indeed, may only be in their infancy.
After his Tchaikovsky competition win, Fung has garnered accolades, critical acclaim and standing ovations at performances around the world, more and more widely recognized as one of the preeminent cellists of our time. Astounding audiences with his boundless virtuosity and exquisite sensitivity, the 25-year-old has already proven himself a star among the next generation of world-class musicians.
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Awards and reviews
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Presto Recording of the Week25th April 2025
June 2025
Fung’s tone is varied and secure, and he has a wide variety of attack and phrasing, from the tender to the aggressive, matching the changing moods of the music, coupled with a playful use of rubato.
July 2025
they represent a formidable showcase for Fung’s phenomenal technique, dispatched with a big, glowing, singing tone slightly reminiscent – to my ears – of Leonard Rose, and an abundance of vim and lyricism…But it's Fung’s own Janáček homage, Fantasy on ‘Jenůfa, that stands head and shoulders above the rest.
25th April 2025
The funny thing about these pieces is that while they do quite definitely feature virtuosity – that’s part of why they were written – somehow it is woven into the music, almost disguised behind the big hummable tunes even as those tunes are reclothed in dazzling embellishments. The technical brilliance is worn very lightly, but boy is it there when you listen out for it.