The Week in Reviews, Op. 226: Tasmin Little; James Ehnes; Shlomo Mintz

April 16, 2018, 2:52 PM · 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.

Tasmin Little performed the Elgar with the Ulster Orchestra.

Belfast Telegraph: "She performed superbly Elgar's lengthy Violin Concerto, a musical tour de force which requires enormous technical skill and stamina, not only from the soloist but also the from conductor and the orchestra, who combined almost flawlessly to give an inspiring account of this masterpiece."

Tasmin Little. Photo by Benjamin Ealovega.

James Ehnes performed three of Bach's Sonatas and Partitas in Melbourne.

Arts Hub: "...his performance was exceptionally fine with all three works performed to very near perfection. There was excellent intonation and technique, subtle shaping and phrasing, and a heartfelt sensitivity and rhetorical clarity within each and every bar. If that was not enough, the warm sound of Ehnes’s ‘Marsick’ Stradivarius of 1715 within the wooden walls of Elisabeth Murdoch Hall was richly satisfying. There was a wonderful bloom to the sound, the artist choosing to have all of the acoustic baffles removed so that the hall was fully resonant."

Shlomo Mintz performed the Tchaikovsky with the Dunedin Symphony Orchestra.

Otago Daily Times: "Every aspect of his playing appeared so effortlessly controlled, with each recurring thematic entry lovingly revisited, and riveting candenzi with subject matter fragments always discernible."

Mateusz Wolski performed the Brahms with the Spokane Symphony.

The Spokesman-Review: "Wolski embraced Brahms’ challenge as an opportunity to convey the most intense feeling possible by plunging into the music’s passions, rather than floating above them."

Simone Lamsma performed the Mendelssohn with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.

Daily Echo: "Lamsma mesmerised us with her impassioned approach to the piece, dovetailing into the orchestra effortlessly."

Midori performed Bernstein's Serenade with the Tongyeong Festival Orchestra.

South China Morning Post: "Leonard Bernstein’s Serenade proved the ideal vehicle for Japanese violinist Midori to demonstrate her technical prowess and wonderful purity of sound..."

Linda Melsted performed the Brescianello Violin Concerto with the Seattle Baroque Orchestra.

The SunBreak: "The writing was imaginative and dramatic, the slow movement solo highly ornamented and directed to be soft over steady, quiet playing from the other musicians."

Please support music in your community by attending a concert or recital whenever you can! And to read more about James Ehnes and Midori, pick up a copy of our just-released Violinist.com Interviews, Volume 2, now available from Amazon.

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The Week in Reviews, Op. 226: Tasmin Little; James Ehnes; Shlomo Mintz

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