Q. Your debut album, Fantasies, explores the opera fantasy tradition with a distinctly personal twist. What first sparked your fascination with this form, and why did it feel like the right choice for your first recording?
A: During the 2020 Covid lockdowns, I became fascinated by some of the great cellist-composers of the 19th century, like Popper, Piatti and Servais. As I looked through their catalogues, I encountered fascinating concert music of all kinds, including many opera fantasies that piqued my interest. Choosing this repertoire for my first album felt natural—it reflected my musical personality and curiosity while also meditating on the history of cello playing, which has long been one of my interests.
Q. You’ve said these fantasies celebrate musical freedom—“to play, to wander, to risk”. How did that ethos guide your collaboration with pianist Richard Fu and shape the overall sound of the album?
A: There is a tremendous amount of freedom in the instrumental writing in these opera fantasies (such as cadenzas, written-out recitatives, and so on). In addition, the original operatic music has a rich tradition, with a variety of historical interpretations to draw on. Richard and I tried to keep all of this in mind as we approached each piece, aiming to be in the moment and to allow ourselves to connect to the emotional spark of the music.
Q: The album blends well-known operatic themes with lesser-known transcriptions and premieres—including your own fantasy on Janáček’s Fantasy on Jenůfa. What was your creative process in arranging Janáček’s music, and what makes this piece so compelling to you?
A: I was drawn to Jenůfa on several levels: the dark storyline, brooding music, orchestral textures and unconventional uses of repetition. I spent hours listening to it over the course of many months—without the libretto on hand—to absorb the raw experience of the music and let it infuse my arrangement. My goal was to highlight the music I love most from Jenůfa and arrange it in a way that felt logical and true to the spirit of the opera.
Q: Commissioning Marshall Estrin’s Fantasia Carmèn seems to speak to your interest in expanding the cello’s repertoire. How do you see your role as both interpreter and instigator in shaping the future of the instrument?
The composer-performer was once wonderfully commonplace in the classical music world. With the emergence of recordings, classical musicians moved towards the canon. We lost the highly individual star power of musicians playing their own music (or their own “signature pieces”). Naturally, there is a balance to be found between new compositions and classic repertoire. I hope that the repertoire I choose speaks to my own musical personality as well as the intentions of the composer. That’s why fantasies hold so much appeal for me—they feature the player and the composer on a more
equal footing.
Q: Your programming often bridges standard repertoire with bold contemporary choices, and your performance calendar spans continents and cultures. How do you approach building a concert or recording project, and how do you adapt your artistic approach for different audiences around
the world?
A: I find tremendous satisfaction in playing music of all eras. Any opportunity to perform Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations or the Bach Cello Suites is a gift. When building a project, I choose new works that might provide context for older ones, and I hope to push myself and the audience a little, while also revisiting more familiar musical territory.
I always want to be respectful of the relationship between the venue and its audience, especially as a guest artist. When I feel the audience responding to what I’m doing on stage, that motivates me, regardless of what I’m playing. That said, I often try to include music that might expand or challenge the audience’s preconceptions, but generally in partnership with the venue and hopefully never in a way that feels didactic.
Q: As a young artist navigating a global career in an increasingly digital world, how do you balance the pressures of visibility, innovation and authenticity—both on and off stage?
A: Having a digital presence is a crucial part of a modern career; it often feels like another part-time job. (A 30-second Instagram video can take an hour to make after factoring in planning, prep, editing, and so on.) But it also allows us to communicate directly with audiences across the world in a way that has never been possible before. In my social media posts, I try to share aspects of my work that I find interesting and meaningful; I hope those preoccupations intersect with what my followers might find engaging. But it’s important to stay true to what I really enjoy—that’s what makes it authentic, and I think people respond to that as much, or even more, than they do to the specific topic.
Q: You’re now joining the faculty at Juilliard, just a few years after graduating. What kind of artistic mindset do you hope to encourage in the next generation of cellists?
A: I hope to inspire my students to be curious and thoughtful and to love their work; we spend a lot of time playing and practising, so holding on to your love for all of that is crucial. I also encourage all of them to experiment with composing their own music because it compels them to think about what they really want to say as musicians and players. It also allows them to approach the music they perform from the perspective of the composer, which stimulates their creativity.
Zlatomir Fung’s debut album Fantasies will be released on Signum Records on 25 April 2025.
