The Week in Reviews, Op. 297: Elena Urioste; Ning Feng; Ray Chen

November 12, 2019, 1:17 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 Elena Urioste. Photo by Alessandra Tinozzi.

Elena Urioste performed Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's Violin Concerto with the Chineke! Orchestra.

theartsdesk.com: "The American violinist Elena Urioste brought the work everything it deserves: a rich, glowing tone, rhythmic panache, shedloads of charisma and a tenderness that cradled the slow movement as if it were the most precious jewel in the world, which I think it actually may be."
MusicOMH: "Elena Urioste made it...absolutely her own, displaying a lightness of touch as well as a rich tone (particularly in the low-string passages and the cadenza in the first movement) that brought out to the full the piece’s charm."

Ning Feng performed the U.S. premiere of Qigang Chen's Violin Concerto "La joie de la souffrance" with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra.

NJ.com: "It’s...a great showcase for Feng’s talents....Feng was understated in premiering Chen’s new piece – he favors a light touch with his playing, letting the music flow through him rather than making himself the center of it."

Ray Chen performed in recital with pianist Julio Elizalde.

Violinist.com: "...make no mistake, Chen has a serious side, and on that side, the Chaconne looms large."

Sergey Khachatryan performed Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 1 with the Cleveland Orchestra.

The Plain Dealer: "Movements two and four, the Scherzo and Burlesca, sizzled in his hands. Both, though, amounted to more than mere technical wizardry. Coming from Khachatryan, the music burrowed under the skin with everything from raw fury to open paranoia."

Midori performed in recital with pianist Ieva Jokubaviciute.

Sequenza 21: "From the first notes of Vivian Fung’s Birdsong, Midori’s effortless technique and silvery tone were evident."

Stephanie Jeong> and cellist Kenneth Olsen performed the Brahms "Double" with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Chicago Classical Review: "In the playful insistence of the finale, the soloists tossed phrases back and forth delightfully and brought rich expressive warmth to the lilting secondary theme."
Chicago Tribune: "That the cello was top of mind is very clear, and not just through Olsen’s magnificent opening cadenza. Intensely difficult and wide-ranging passages span every millimeter of the instrument’s fingerboard, as if the double concerto is mainly a showpiece for the larger of its two subjects. That is not to imply that Jeong merely accompanies Olsen; the parts they play together create rich harmonies that bring out the best in both instruments, highlighting the rich highs and lows of each."

Gil Shaham performed the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.

Cincinnati Business Journal: "It’s not often that the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra audience gives a soloist a standing ovation after the first movement. That’s what happened Friday night, when violinist Gil Shaham played the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto."

Tessa Lark performed Berg’s Violin Concerto with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.

CITY Newspaper: "She tossed off its fearsome technical demands with aplomb, unerringly finding the emotion behind the notes, and (conductor Ward) Stare and the orchestra were with her every step of the way. This music was compelling in every measure. The overwhelming climax of the second movement was magnificent here."

Alexander Barantschik performed Bach’s A-Minor Violin Concerto with the San Francisco Symphony.

Datebook: "Barantschik’s playing dipped suavely in and out of the ensemble — now blending into the mix, now stepping boldly to the fore — and the suite got a welcome lift from (conductor Ton) Koopman’s fervent, almost antic leadership."

Liza Ferschtman performed the Barber Violin Concerto with Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra (stepping in for Chloë Hanslip).

Dallas Morning News: "She delivered reflective music with strikingly creamy tone and impeccably tossed off the finale’s fireworks."

Angelo Xiang Yu performed Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 5 with the Charlotte Symphony.

Broadway World: "Yu forcefully produced a gleaming, golden tone from his 290-year-old Stradivarius and seemed to be having fun even in the slow movement."

Julian Rachlin performed Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2 with the Royal Northern Sinfonia.

The Westmoreland Gazette: "There is no doubt that Julian Rachlin, now principal guest conductor of the Royal Northern Sinfonia, has a special relationship with the players and this was clearly reflected in last Saturday’s performance."

Stefan Jackiw performed in recital with pianist Jeremy Denk.

The Daily Princetonian: "During Jackiw and Denk’s live music meditation, Jackiw talked about the relationship between calm and tension, between beauty and dissonance. In the quiet, communal hall on a Thursday afternoon, detached from the bustle of work and class, both the message and the catharsis of the music proved resonant."

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