The Week in Reviews, Op. 292: Rachel Barton Pine; Augustin Hadelich; Paul Huang

October 8, 2019, 12:35 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.

Violinist Rachel Barton Pine and harpsichordist Jory Vinikour.

Rachel Barton Pine and harpsichordist Jory Vinikour performed Bach sonatas at the National Museum of Art.

Washington Classical Review: "Both players exercised admirable rhythmic flexibility in the slow movements, which heightened the expressive effect of the music. In the peppy fourth movement, taken at a daringly fast speed not implied in the tempo marking, neither musician seemed to produce a single bead of sweat while maintaining a crisply defined pace, perfectly in step with one another."

Augustin Hadelich performed Sibelius’s Violin Concerto with the New York Philharmonic.

New York Times: "The beginning of the Sibelius concerto was deliberate and hushed, a mist through which the soloist, Augustin Hadelich, pulled a soft, silvery thread of sound."
New York Classical Review: "Rather than the beauty of the music sitting at an observable distance, Hadelich made this personal, a quiet and revealing narrative."

Paul Huang performed the Dvorák Violin Concerto with the Long Beach Symphony.

LA Opus: "..so far as sheer ear-catching memorability is concerned, for my money (the Dvorák concerto's) rondo Finale equals that of the Brahms Violin Concerto — or at least so it seemed in the gloriously spontaneous account by the Taiwan-born violinist Paul Huang."
The Grunion: "Our soloist was young Paul Huang, and he was a marvel. Technically assured, with a profound musicality and a gorgeous sound, he obviously loves the piece and made the most of it."
Violinist.com: "Huang coaxed a remarkable variety of characters and colors from the 1742 Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù that he plays, a violin once played by the great virtuoso Henryk Wieniawski...What a pleasure to see all those possibilities brought to life."

Brett Dean performed the premiere James Ledger's Viola Concerto with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra.

Limelight: "Dean leant into every sound-world the score presented him with. His performance of the third movement was the most enjoyable to witness, with his instrument appearing to hold a conversation with itself in the opening passage of double-stops before diving into the cheeky rhythmic patterns with much zest."

Maria Dueñas performed the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with the the San Francisco Symphony.

San Francisco Classical Voice: "From the get-go she went at the piece with a big, fearless, almost relentless fervor, backed by dazzling technique. Dueñas dug into every phrase with an incisive determination."

Joshua Bell performed Brahms Violin Concerto in D Major with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.

Theater Jones: "Bell gave us some stunningly beautiful moments and exceptionally played nuance — even an original first movement cadenza. But overall, his performance favored brilliance and emotionalism over the reverent dignity we usually associate with the more conservatively grounded Brahms. "

Anne-Sophie Mutter performed with the Cleveland Orchestra at Carnegie Hall.

The New York Times: "In the Romance, the violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter was as warmly expressive as always, with precise articulation that didn’t waver even in passages of precarious double-stops...She was...the star of the sedate Triple Concerto, effortless and authoritative among her fellow soloists: Yefim Bronfman...and cellist Lynn Harrell...."

Joshua Brown performed in recital with pianist Verena Louis at Kempten International Chamber Music Festival in Germany.

Allgäuer Zeitung: "A gifted violinist and a master already at the age of (19) - there is no other way to describe Joshua Brown."

Timothy Chooi performed the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with the the Kamloops Symphony Orchestra in B.C. Canada.

Kamloops This Week: "From the moment Chooi shot his bow in the air, seemingly lifting his whole body from his feet, attendees were on a grand ride. His standing ovation was well-deserved."

Anthony Marwood performed Schumann’s Violin Concerto in D Minor with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra.

ArtsHub: "Marwood’s relaxed, enthusiastic style of playing was matched by Boyd’s expressive conducting. This was an interesting and intelligent piece, played well by the soloist and orchestra."

Yuriy Bekker performed Edward Hart's "Under an Indigo Sky" with the Charleston Symphony.

The Post and Courier: "Throughout the work, the resonant collagen was Bekker, who managed by way of his storied set of strings to vigorously, magnificently, masterfully travel the whole of the state, displaying his evident gifts with virtuosic verve and depth."

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

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The Week in Reviews, Op. 292: Rachel Barton Pine; Augustin Hadelich; Paul Huang

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