The Week in Reviews, Op. 341: James Ehnes, Christian Tetzlaff; Johnny Gandelsman

February 15, 2022, 12:06 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 James Ehnes.

James Ehnes performed the Walton Violin Concerto with the Philharmonia Orchestra.

iNews: "Ehnes seemingly couldn’t put a finger wrong, nonchalantly offering us laser-precise passagework and, at the softening of the bowing wrist, a tone that melted as deliciously as warm marmalade."

Christian Tetzlaff performed Alban Berg’s Violin Concerto with the New World Symphony.

South Florida Classical Review: "Tetzlaff is an artist who never plays it safe and his interpretation of Berg’s final completed work was striking for its variegated colors and agitated aura. "

Johnny Gandelsman performed a solo violin recital called 'This is America' for Art of Élan in San Diego.

The San Diego Union-Tribune: "...he has a violin technique that is both dazzling and focused. A quasi-Baroque sense of breath imbues all of his gestures, especially his bowing, and lent a vivid and luminous quality to all the evening’s music."

Maria Dueñas performed Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No 1 with the combined Royal Scottish National Orchestra and BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.

The Scotsman: "Spanish violinist María Dueñas was dazzling in Shostakovich’s hotly discursive Violin Concerto No 1, eliciting the volcanic intensity and biting sarcasm necessary to meet its physical and psychological demands."

Sirena Huang performed the "Butterfly Lovers" Concerto with the Hartford Symphony.

Hartford Courant: "The experience begins gentle and romantic, then ramps up with the extraordinary violin soloist Sirena Huang playing with such speed and force that you’re afraid something might catch fire. It does. Music meant to capture a mythic romance sizzles with passion."

Pinchas Zukerman and cellist Amanda Forsyth performed in concert with the Dallas Symphony.

Texas Classical Review: "If the goal of any concert is to leave the audience wanting more, this program certainly delivered."

Concertmaster Mateusz Wolski performed the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with the Spokane Symphony.

The Spokesman-Review: "...it was his willingness to bend to the character of the music, rather than force it into his mold, that was most impressive, as it opened up imaginative vistas for the first time even for the, shall we say, mature listener who had kept the piece as a constant companion since childhood."

Alexi Kenney performed the Sibelius Violin Concerto with the Princeton Symphony Orchestra.

Princeton Magazine: "The soloist’s music was improvisatory throughout, as Kenney showed a wide range of playing styles, from a rich lower register to making the audience sit up and listen by bringing the dynamics down to almost nothing. "

Henry Auxenfans, age 14, performed Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto with the Lakeview Orchestra, as its 2022 Concerto Competition winner.

Chicago Classical Review: "He brought contrast and sensitivity to the Allegro molto appassionato, and was at his lyrical finest in the serenely singing Andante."

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The Week in Reviews, Op. 341: James Ehnes, Christian Tetzlaff; Johnny Gandelsman

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