The Week in Reviews, Op. 246: Veronika Eberle; Karen Gomyo; Itzhak Perlman
In an effort to promote the coverage of live violin performance, Violinist.com each week presents links to reviews of notable concerts and recitals around the world.
Veronika Eberle performed the Brahms Violin Concerto with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.
- Atlanta Journal Constitution: "In her Atlanta debut, 28-year-old Eberle unpacked an interpretation of the concerto full of crystal-clear high notes and scorching technical passages. Her first-movement cadenza, which is crowded with a complex series of interlocking melodic leaps and jumps, was smooth, unhurried and precise."
- ArtsATL.com: "Violinist Veronika Eberle was totally on fire in her debut appearance with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Thursday night, wowing the audience with her superb performance of the Violin Concerto of Johannes Brahms."
....And from last Sunday, cellist Yo-Yo Ma and violinist Renaud Capuçon perform the second movement from Ravel’s Violin and Cello Sonata at the base of the Arc de Triomphe as part of the ceremony to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of World War One.
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Violinist.com Interviews, Volume 2: Violinist.com editor Laurie Niles' second book features exclusive, one-on-one interviews conducted over the last six years with 26 of today's best-known violinists, including Midori, Gil Shaham, Hilary Hahn, James Ehnes, Rachel Barton Pine, Augustin Hadelich, Ray Chen, Daniel Heifetz, Jennifer Koh and Lindsey Stirling. Amazon.com (Ad)
And...Breathe
How many teachers actively introduce the concept of breathing in their lessons with violin students? I realise that over the years it has almost become my mantra. It features so strongly in the learning/teaching process but is often overlooked. I mention the violin, but it is relevant to any instrument where breathing is not an inherent requirement of playing.
One of the most important things when teaching the violin (or any other instrument for that matter) is to reduce tension; to help the student play freely without physical or mental rigidity, thus improving the way they play and interpret and helping to avoid physical problems and pain sometime in the future. Breathing is a fundamental part of this process. Learning the violin is as physical as any sport. It requires the correct technique and posture and it is important, as with any sport, to remember to breathe correctly in order to release tension in the body. Keep reading...
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Austrian Violinist Erica Morini, the Teacher's Violinist?
With Halloween a recent memory, it is perhaps timely to recall a musician who, shortly after her death in 1995, was described as "the most bewitching woman violinist of this century." I refer here, of course, to that eminent violinist of the Golden Age, Erica Morini.
As a brief recap of her career, Erika Morini was born in Vienna in 1904 to a musical family. She was taught initially by her father, but later studied with Otakar Ševcík. She made her orchestral debut with the Berlin Philharmonic and Leipzig Gewandhaus orchestras in 1916, already celebrated as a "wunderkind." Her American debut on January 26th, 1921, was reportedly one of the sensations of that season’s New York musical calendar. In 1938, presumably reflecting the ominous tide of events in Europe, Morini, who was Jewish, had changed the spelling of her name from Erika to Erica. She immigrated to New York at the start of World War II and eventually retired from concertizing in 1976.
Apart from such dispassionate biographical details and critiques of her playing, mention has been made of Morini’s particular sound, an elusive attribute which has left a personal mark.
