The Week in Reviews, Op. 236: Midori, Baiba Skride, Leila Josefowicz

September 5, 2018, 11:44 AM · 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.

Midori performed a movement from the Bernstein Serenade at the Bernstein Centennial Celebration at Tanglewood.

Broadway World: "Midori was launched to fame and international recognition at a Tanglewood performance of the piece with composer, Bernstein, on the podium. That 1986 performance was made legendary when Midori broke the E-string on, not one but, two violins during its presentation."

Midori Goto. Photo by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders

Baiba Skride performed the Bernstein Serenade with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at the BBC Proms.

Financial Times: "...this is one of Bernstein’s most sensitive and coherent scores, and it was beautifully played here by soloist Baiba Skride and the chamber-sized Boston ensemble."
theartsdesk.com: "Nimble elegance was more of an asset in Bernstein's Serenade after Plato's Symposium, effectively a concerto for violin, strings, harp and percussion. It's a much more effective 'serious' work – despite its title – than his three symphonies, and it needed a violinist as alert and charming to her orchestral colleagues as Nelsons' fellow Latvian Baiba Skride....She drew us into the dream, notably so in the hushed love-adagio of 'Agathon.' Elsewhere solo dialogues with strings and percussion were razor-sharp; the entertainment never outstayed its welcome for a second."

Leila Josefowicz performed Stravinsky's Violin Concerto in D with the Hong Kong Philharmonic.

South China Morning Post: "With technique to burn, she managed to make tricks such as up-bow staccato and ricochet bowing look like a cinch in the Aria 1 (second movement) and impressed throughout with her crystal-clear harmonics and focused sound."

Charles Yang performed the Korngold Violin Concerto with the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra at Young Euro Classic 2018.

World Socialist Website: "The performance, by the orchestra and solo violinist Charles Yang under the direction of British conductor Wayne Marshall, combined youthful enthusiasm with a sense of touching poetry."

Nancy Zhou, Yun Tang, Diana Tishchenko, Jia Yi Chen, Chang Yuan Ting and Olga Šroubková performed in the Finals of the Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition with the Shanghai Symphony.

Violinist.com: Finals Day 1 - "(Nancy) Zhou played the piece with lightning-fast fingers."
Violinist.com: Finals Day 2 - "(Jia Yi Chen) was confident in passages that posed both technical and rhythmic challenges, and her assured and relaxed playing promoted a sense of ease for the listener."
Violinist.com: Finals Day 3 - "(Olga) Šroubková (was) at one with the music and the present moment..."

Andrew Haveron and cellist Umberto Clerici performed the Brahms Double with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

The Daily Telegraph: "The first of the concertos for the evening was the double concerto for violin and cello, composed as a conciliatory gesture to his old friend violinist Joseph Joachim, with whom he had had a falling out a few years previously. It worked and the piece represents Brahms at his happiest and most tuneful — the slow movement is a glorious expansive melody. SSO concertmaster Andrew Haveron and principal cello Umberto Clerici were the soloists in a lovely reading under the energetic and exacting baton of Robertson."

Grace Clifford performed the Dvorak Violin Concerto with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra.

The West Australian: "...the young soloist wove a silky, sinuous line of melody through the fabric of full ensemble chords; sublime in the harmonics yet florid when required in the lower register"

IN OTHER NEWS:

Pavel Šporci received the Torch-Bearer Award for his work promoting classical music in the Czech republic.

Broadway World: "'I am deeply proud to receive the Sri Chimnoy Torch-Bearer Award. It means a great deal to me and gives me strength to continue my work, not only as an artist, but as one of a community of artists around the world who believe that art can change lives - that this is our gift and our responsibility,' Sporci said."

Please support music in your community by attending a concert or recital whenever you can!

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