The Week in Reviews, Op. 377: Christian Tetzlaff; Bella Hristova; Elina Vähälä

November 8, 2022, 5:52 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.

Violinist Christian Tetzlaff. Photo by Giorgia Bertazzi.

Christian Tetzlaff performed Bartók’s Violin Concerto No. 2 with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Chicago Classical Review: "Christian Tetzlaff proved an ideal solo protagonist. The German violinist’s lean, astringent tone and nervy virtuosity is well suited to this brilliant, hard-edged score, and he put across the folk-tinged verbunkos coloring as surely as the sudden bursts of unbridled intensity."
Hyde Park Herald: "This was detailed music playing, carefully considered and masterfully presented. "

Bella Hristova performed Wynton Marsalis's Violin Concerto in D Major with the Santa Rosa Symphony.

San Francisco Classical Voice: "Hristova...embarked on a spirited cadenza with rock-solid harmonics and double stops and the occasional phrase that harkened to the opening theme."

Elina Vähälä performed Shostakovich's Violin Concerto No 2 with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.

The Herald: "Vahala’s playing was never showy, but her cadenzas were absolutely compelling and of a piece with the shaping of a demanding work that she and (conductor Hannu) Lintu structured beautifully from start to finish."

Natsuko Yoshimoto performed in concert with pianist Daniel de Borah at at UKARIA Cultural Centre in Adelaide.

InDaily: "There is a special lustre that Yoshimoto draws from the violin: warm and burnished, it calls to mind the style of her teacher, the great Yehudi Menuhin (whom she learned from at the Yehudi Menuhin School in the UK), particularly in the way she applies an even vibrato and employs the instrument’s full resonance."

Sarah Chang performed Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 with the Palm Beach Symphony.

South Florida Classical Review: "Her playing of the improvisatory opening was powerful, building it to a point of maximum tension with a rich, dark tone. And in the arpeggios that bring the movement to an end, she played with fortissimo brilliance, angling the scroll of her violin high as she stood up to the surging tones of the entire orchestra. But she hurried over much of the movement."

Leonidas Kavakos performed the Brahms Violin Concerto with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.

TheArtsDesk.com: "...he continued to paint the music in bold strokes. The second subject, usually a sentimental, even naïve, melody, was subject to intense and continuous vibrato..."

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Diana Skinner

November 9, 2022 at 05:16 PM · Laurie, In a belated response to the weekend vote, I personally hope you continue to post these reviews. I always enjoy reading about who is performing where, what repertoire is being programmed, and other observations made by the critics (lack of attendance in Chicago, for example). I'm probably more interested in those aspects of the reviews than the actual performance critiques.

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The Week in Reviews, Op. 377: Christian Tetzlaff; Bella Hristova; Elina Vähälä

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