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The Week in Reviews, Op. 363: Nancy Zhou; Diana Adamyan; Elena Urioste
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 Nancy Zhou. Photo by Dario Acosta.
Nancy Zhou performed Jiping Zhao’s Violin Concerto No. 1 with the New Jersey Symphony at Alice Tully Hall.
- New York Classical Review: "Violinist Nancy Zhou invested each repeat of the haunting tune with elegance and beauty."
- blogcritics: "I found Zhao Jiping's single-movement Violin Concerto less interesting, though Maestra Zhang and soloist Nancy Zhou did not falter in making a case for it."
Diana Adamyan performed the Khachaturian violin concerto with the Aspen Festival Orchestra.
- The Aspen Times: "Armenian violinist Diana Adamyan, barely in her 20s, delivered on all the aspects of the Khachaturian violin concerto, despite a steady rain that pattered on the tent roof through most of the piece. She found subtleties in the quieter, more hesitant moments, and revved up churning rhythms and dazzling climaxes. "
Elena Urioste and horn player Ben Goldscheider performed Ethel Smyth's Concerto for Violin and Horn with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra at the BBC Proms.
- Evening Standard: "Last night’s exemplary performance by the violinist Elena Urioste and horn player Ben Goldscheider, with the CBSO under its chief conductor designate Kazuki Yamada, revealed the Smyth as a score that adroitly balances wistfulness and humour, with an individual approach to form."
- The Guardian: "...the innate nobility of (Goldscheider's) phrasing judiciously offset (Urioste's) more effusive lyricism. The Elegy...sounded gorgeous, and the big, accompanied double cadenza that dominates the finale was done with engaging flamboyance and considerable bravado."
Daniel Matejca performed Shostakovich Violin Concerto No. 1 and won the Eurovision Young Musicians 2022.
- Aussievision: "Daniel Matejca delivered the Czech Republic their first Eurovision Young Musicians win."
The Brodsky Quartet performed Elgar’s Introduction and Allegro for Strings at the Buxton International Festival 2022.
- theartsdesk.com: "The Brodsky Quartet...were like concerto soloists themselves in this concert....I don’t think I’ve ever heard the piece played with such transparency, variety of tone, and beautifully clear lines in the counterpoint. "
Please support music in your community by attending a concert or recital whenever you can!
You might also like:
- Interview with Nancy Zhou, Winner of the 2018 Shanghai Competition
- The Week in Reviews, Op. 362: Rachel Barton Pine; Gil Shaham and cellist Sterling Elliott; Jennifer Frautschi
- The Week in Reviews, Op. 361: Esther Yoo; Randall Goosby; Aisha Orazbayeva
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Replies
Thank you for that review, Christian! Sounds like a great concert!
Christian, I’m so glad you enjoyed the concert! I can’t take any credit for its success however since I was off this past weekend. If you come back to another concert, you’ll see me – I’m playing all the orchestra concerts from now till the end.
I'm sure that your psychic support was invaluable, Mary Ellen! I'll have to check out the rest of the season and see if I can make any more concerts.
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July 26, 2022 at 06:38 PM · I went to see an the Colorado Music Festival's all Mozart program of the Serenade no. 12 for wind octet, the 27th (last) piano concerto and the 39th symphony, featuring V.com's very own Mary Ellen Goree at principal second violin. The conductor was Andrew Grams, and the piano soloist was Albert Cano Smit.
It was an incredible concert. I was really excited that the conductor, Andrew Grams, was stepping in on short notice, as I had seen him with the Colorado Music Festival orchestra in 2014, and like that time, his sensitivity with the soloist and with the orchestra was fantastic. The tempos, the clarity, the beauty of sound, and the rhythmic precision were all on point - It's like a formula 1 driver merging with race car.
The serenade was very beautiful, and included a very inspired solo from the lead oboist.
The piano concerto was played by Albert Cano Smit (stepping in for Simone Dinnerstein), who gave a beautifully committed introverted performance. His sound and touch was very subtle; it never went above mf, but it was so beguiling, that it made you want to lean in. This might sound like backhanded compliments, but I've never heard a more beautiful performance of Mozart for piano in my life. The interplay with the orchestra was very tight, and there was a very clear and nice contrast between the quiet, dreamy piano lines, and the more explosive, but still controlled responses from the orchestra. The concerto is a very interesting dialogue between piano and orchestra where they are often replying to each other and sometimes reinforcing. When the orchestra had the melodic line, he very graciously accompanied.
The symphony had all the same qualities of precision, clarity and lyricism from the orchestra that they displayed in the concerto. The strings, being made up of principals from various other orchestras, are such a delight to hear - They really can turn on a dime. It really seems like the orchestra and the conductor have a great affinity.
I really look forward to hearing Andrew Grams conduct, and Albert Cano Smit play, in the future. I was bowled over. This entire performance had all the qualities of great chamber music playing, but at full scale.