The Week in Reviews, Op. 151: Kristóf Baráti, James Ehnes, Movses Pogossian
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.
Kristóf Baráti performed Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 1 with the Mariinsky Orchestra.
- The Guardian: "As soloist in the Violin Concerto No 1, Kristóf Baráti started at the other extreme of audibility, his honeyed tone and intense intimacy willing the orchestra into submission. With his delicate sculpting of phrases and welcome injections of expressive breathing space, Baráti brought a degree of care and fragility that was all too absent from the rest of the programme."
Kristóf Baráti. Photo by Marco Borggreve.
James Ehnes performed the Beethoven with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.
- Liverpool Echo: "Ehnes plays a 300-year-old Stradivarius with tooth-aching sweetness, a gorgeous soaring tone and silky smooth phrasing. Under Manze, the Phil offered perfectly pitched accompaniment that was robust without ever threatening to overwhelm the sweetness of the violin. There was a lovely warm and meditative opening to the Larghetto, and a capering Rondo with Ehnes’ violin dancing a double stopping dance in a firefly finale."
Movses Pogossian performed the Mansurian with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.
- Los Angeles Times: "The final movement began in so quietly it sounded as though Pogossian was playing on one half of one string, with the 15-member string orchestra coming in with tentative gentleness. This is when a phone went off in the audience, blaring what should have been a mood-destroying stupid tune. But the sheer will of Mansurian’s music, and of Pogossian’s performance, remained on course, making the contrast between this world an any other all the more remarkable."
Hilary Hahn performed the Beethoven with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
- Detroit Free Press: "Hahn's poised reading of the Violin Concerto...sang Beethoven's sublime melodies and decorative scaffolding with an unaffected purity, chamber music-like intimacy and beautifully modulated tone and dynamics."
Esther Yoo performed the Tchaikovsky with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra.
- Charlotte Observer: "She played the concerto not as an extroverted showpiece but as a tender contemplation of life, written by a man who was old before his time at 38. Soulfulness, not showy virtuosity, ran through the long first movement. She became even more delicate in the lovely canzonetta, making you lean forward to hear her thread of sound."
Nune Melik performed the Sibelius with the Senior Concert Orchestra.
- The Armenian Mirror-Spectator: "Her piece, Jean Sibelius’ Violin Concerto Op. 47, was performed with passion and precision, commanding the audience with her talent, leaving the audience speechless."
Jack Liebeck performed the Sibelius with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.
- Birmingham Post: "Jack Liebeck played it straight and mezzo-forte just as the composer requested and this set the pattern for a strong, sinewy performance which didn't try to make the work more 'poetic' than it is."
Andrej Kurti performed the Tchaikovsky with the Waco Symphony Orchestra.
- Waco Tribune-Herald: "...unquestionable brilliance."
Brittany Boulding and Denise Dillenbeck performed the Bach Double with the Northwest Sinfonietta.
- The News Tribune: "Luckily nothing fell apart, but an extra rehearsal was clearly needed. After things settled, Boulding (with a darker tone) and Dillenbeck (more silvery) danced and shone their way through the arpeggios and suspensions."
Alexi Kenney performed the Brahms with the Santa Fe Symphony.
- Albuquerque Journal: "Kenney, a young player, gave a more than respectable performance, with the music always the primary focus. His double stops, which so characterize the work, were marked with precision and dexterity."
Please support music in your community by attending a concert or recital whenever you can!
You might also like:
- The Chance to Play a Fine Instrument: Canada's Fine Instrument Bank
- Interview with James Ehnes: Four Seasons and No Apologies
- Interview with Hilary Hahn: Bridges to the Past
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