THE NEW YORK TIMES: The soloist was Francesca Anderegg, who made this dauntingly tricky work [Ligeti Violin Concerto] sound easy, starting with the microtonal anarchy of the first movement, with its clashing metric layers that echo the polyphony of Mr. Ligeti’s extraordinary études. Ms. Anderegg played the dark, mournfully lyrical second movement with rich tone and Sashko Gawriloff’s virtuosic cadenza with panache.
THE JUILLIARD JOURNAL: Recitals don’t come more appealingly designed than this one by violinist Francesca Anderegg. Engineer extraordinaire Judith Sherman, working at the American Academy of Arts and Letters, has given the recording a luminous sheen in a program that many will want to explore again and again.
Q2 MUSIC (Zoë Madonna): Francesca Anderegg’s ‘Wild Cities’ is haunted by the American dream, a dream of perpetual travel on an endless open road. Through it all, Anderegg’s playing is crisp and eloquent, adapting seamlessly to the diverse natures of the five pieces.
SECOND INVERSION: As a sense of disarray and fragmentation mounts in the world of contemporary music, Francesca Anderegg’s ‘Wild Cities’ delivers a refreshingly optimistic sense of the future, full of adventure and possibility.
CLASSICAL NOWHERE: What a spellbinding, twisting, intoxicating 49 minutes of incendiary violin this is. There’s a sort of perilousness about it, an edginess that I find quite extraordinary. [Francesca Anderegg] would be more than enough on her lonesome, but on this great album you also have to factor in Brent Funderburk’s piano as well, which is exceptional. In Wild Cities two musicians basically bring their top game to a record and it’s a total joy.
CONCERTO MAGAZINE (Brazil): The American violinist Francesca Anderegg and Brazilian pianist Erika Ribeiro have created a delightful panorama of the music of our country, entitled ‘Images of Brazil’ and distributed internationally by Naxos. Anderegg plays in tune, with precision, and has a solid technique and pleasant sonority, to which Ribeiro’s fine pianism makes an excellent counterpoint. If you still give CDs for Christmas, this would be my choice for 2018.
FANFARE MAGAZINE: Flor da Noite (or Night Flower) by Radamés Gnattali is one of the sweetest encore pieces I know. Written in 1938 it is an arrangement of a traditional song from Bahía, adapted for the violin and piano. Gnattali utilizes Debussyan harmonies to accompany the violin’s free, lyrical line, with a touch of Latin lark ascending at the close. It is indicative of the hidden treasures these thoughtful musicians have unearthed for this recital [‘Images of Brazil’]. Francesca Anderegg is an extremely good violinist with a taste in uncommon repertoire. Here she plays with the highly sympathetic Brazilian pianist Erika Ribiero, and it is clear how much enjoyment they get from the program. Their enjoyment is infectious, resulting in the most delightful disc of Brazilian chamber music to come along in years.
CLASSICS TODAY: ‘Images of Brazil’ is one of those discs you’d be tempted to overlook: seven works by seven different composers and played (very well) by performers who aren’t household names. I dismissed it initially, but that was a mistake. It just goes to show that you can’t judge a CD by its cover. You’ve got to listen. All that remains to be said is that violinist Francesca Anderegg and pianist Erika Ribeiro play all of the music with the same care and loving attention to detail that obviously went into choosing the program. You can audition the whole thing through at a sitting or take it in bits. Either way, you surely will enjoy this hour of vibrant, songful, alternatively spiky and spicy music that’s consistently captivating and worth your attention. Fine sonics too.
ARTSJOURNAL: [The concert] provided the U.S. premiere of the Violin Concerto (1997) by the Swiss-born American composer Daniel Schnyder, featuring the altogether remarkable Francesca Anderegg as soloist. His concerto is a gorgeous thing. It was clear that all forces had worked very hard on Mr. Schnyder’s concerto, and their commitment made the hearing of this work one of the most memorable experiences this listener has enjoyed thus far this year. All one could say regarding Ms. Anderegg was brava, diva. This was playing that had it all–taste, mastery, sensuality.