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The Week in Reviews, Op. 430: Benjamin Beilman, Kelly Hall-Tompkins, Akiko Suwanai

December 20, 2023, 10:39 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.

Benjamin Beilman performed Saint-Saëns’ Violin Concerto No. 3 with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Semyon Bychkov.

• Chicago Classical Review: "Beilman showed technical ease in the quasi-cadenza that opens the finale. The soloist brought a light, dancing diablerie to the forthright main theme, shaded delicacy in the more tender sections, and rounded off the performance with stylish solo brilliance. "

Kelly Hall-Tompkins performed Wynton Marsalis's Violin Concerto with Symphony Tacoma.

• The Suburban Times: "(her) take on the Concerto was full of character, humor, brazenness and sentimentality. She was an incredible communicator, expressing musical lines with an honesty and clarity that couldn’t help but be responded to in both the audience and the orchestra, an essential component in a work like the Violin Concerto with its musical conversation between sections, lines and colors."

Akiko Suwanai performed the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with the Palm Beach Symphony.

• South Florida Classical Review: "Three decades since her competition win, Suwanai’s technique remains strong and intact. She took an initially leisurely pace in the first movement, though her sound was burnished and her phrasing expressive. She easily conquered the devilish challenges of the cadenza while displaying a sense of spontaneity."

The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center performed J.S. Bach’s six Brandenburg Concertos at Harris Theater in Chicago.

• Third Coast Review: "They were clearly having fun, which came through in the liveliness of the performance. At times it frolicked. They could feel how well they sounded, and they embraced several times after the performances were finished."

The Dalí Quartet performed the Antonio Stradivari anniversary concert at the Library of Congress.

• Washington Classical Review: "Joaquín Turina’s 'La oración del torero' paints an impressionistic evocation of bullfighters saying their final prayers in a chapel next to the arena. The vivid shouts and chants of the distant spectators came through in the fast sections, contrasted with the hushed intercessions offered by the toreadors. The sound of the four Strads, with mutes on during the latter sections, murmured soulfully, ending on a lush D major chord."

Kathy Andrew performed Vivaldi's "Winter" from the Four Seasons with the Vermont Symphony Orchestra.

• Times Argus: "In the opening Allegro con moto and closing Allegro, she delivered the demanding virtuosity with skill and flair. Perhaps more rewarding was in the slow movement, Largo, where her beautifully singing line contrasted the pizzicato raindrops of the VSO strings."

Please support music in your community by attending a concert or recital whenever you can!

You might also like:

• The Week in Reviews, Op. 429: Hilary Hahn, Johan Dalene, Christian Tetzlaff
• The Week in Reviews, Op. 428: Jennifer Koh and Jaime Laredo; Geneva Lewis; Sergey Khachatryan
• The Week in Reviews, Op. 427: Isabelle Faust, Bohdan Luts, James Ehnes, Clara-Jumi Kang

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