The Week in Reviews, Op. 330: Karen Gomyo; Joshua Bell; Philippe Quint

November 23, 2021, 5:47 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 Karen Gomyo.

Karen Gomyo performed Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 1 with the New York Philharmonic.

New York Times: "...making her Philharmonic subscription series debut, (Gomyo) conveyed with richly warm and textured sound the ruminative quality of a lyrical line that keeps trying to take clear shape; the orchestra supported — almost comforted — her with plush, wistful chords, rich with deep strings. Yet Gomyo pressed below the surface to suggest that this music was not simply sad, but truly grief-stricken."

Joshua Bell performed Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 with the Philadelphia Orchestra.

The Philadelphia Inquirer: "This was a far more explorative musical world from Bell’s good, forthright 1980s Bruch recording. The opening seconds were full of mystery, making a more expansive framework for his violin entrance, which is one of the more famous in the concerto repertoire."

Philippe Quint performed the Barber Violin Concerto with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.

Buffalo Rising: "He played the Violin Concerto by Samuel Barber with its hyper-romantic and gorgeous melodies, composed by the same man who wrote the famous “Adagio.” A child prodigy, Quint hasn’t lost a step, but along the way has gained a maturity that let him blend perfectly with the orchestra."

Lucia Micarelli performed the Sibelius Violin Concerto with the Lansing Symphony.

Lansing City Pulse: "The stage was set for Micarelli to take on the weight of the whole concerto in a long cadenza, unique in the repertoire, that goes well beyond the usual showing off to tackle the work’s Big Statement, all by herself. She took on the job with such command and tenderness that you could hear a phantom orchestra playing inside her mercurial, authoritative solo lines. "

Dylana Jenson performed the Barber Violin Concerto with the South Bend Symphony Orchestra.

The Observer: "Her virtuosic display was a jaw-dropping experience, and in between her solo sections and the orchestral phrases, her stance was so casual it almost seemed as if those incredibly long and difficult runs of notes took no effort at all. "

Augustin Hadelich performed the Sibelius Violin Concerto with the New World Symphony.

South Florida Classical Review: "From his entrance in Sibelius’ Violin Concerto in D minor, Hadelich radiated deep searing pathos amid the white heat of this celebrated showpiece. He was not afraid to bend and shape a phrase or take a slower tempo to bring out the score’s emotional depth. "

Gil Shaham performed the New York premiere of Scott Wheeler’s Birds of America: Violin Concerto No. 2 with The Orchestra Now (TON).

Sequenza 21: "Though it was brand-new music (commissioned by TON, who also gave the world premiere performance at Bard College the previous week), Shaham played it as naturally and familiarly as he might a Mozart or Mendelssohn concerto. There was nothing hackneyed about this new work, and yet it seemed like it had been in the repertoire for decades."

Vadim Gluzman performed Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2 with the Utah Symphony.

Utah Arts Review: "Gluzman’s technique was dazzling and his phrasing exquisite, but the most striking feature of his performance was the way he collaborated with Sung and the orchestra. Their agile, spontaneous interpretation gave life to the reserved, canonical first movement and to the sweet, lyrical second movement that marked the piece’s high point. "

Leonidas Kavakos performed in recital with pianist Yuja Wang.

Los Angeles Times: "The musicians’ dynamic has matured since they starting performing as a sometime duo several years ago....Kinetic as Wang may be, neither she nor Kavakos is a particularly demonstrative performer; both are all business onstage. They often suggest the imperturbable spontaneity of jazz musicians reacting to one another. Intense and serious, they remarkably confronted the extraordinary power of these Busoni and Shostakovich sonatas that approach life as a grand and inescapably somber enterprise."

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The Week in Reviews, Op. 330: Karen Gomyo; Joshua Bell; Philippe Quint

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