The Week in Reviews, Op. 392: Hilary Hahn, Simone Lamsma, Rachel Barton Pine
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 Hilary Hahn. Photo by O.J. Slaughter.
Hilary Hahn performed solo violin works of Bach in Chicago's Symphony Center.
- Chicago Classical Review: "More than anything else these were individual and communicative Bach performances—varied with a flicker of vibrato, shift of rhythmic emphasis, or subtle dynamic turn that always kept one alert and listening, wholly avoiding any hint of the contrapuntal sewing machine."
Simone Lamsma performed Erich Korngold’s Violin Concerto in D with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.
- Cincinnati Business Courier: "In Lamsma’s hands, this performance was sheer joy. She phrased its long, romantic themes with an Old World style and an easy technique. The cadenza had plenty of intensity as she soared through its challenges."
Rachel Barton Pine performed Florence Price’s Violin Concerto No. 2 with the Chicago Sinfonietta.
- Chicago Classical Review: "Pine...tossed off the solo part with aplomb, conversing well with the harp and a trumpet, and betraying little effort on the more virtuosic passages, partly because of her economical style and partly because Price’s concerto demands less of the violinist than do most violin showpieces."
Daniel Hope performed American works with the Zurich Chamber Orchestra in West Palm Beach.
- South Florida Classical Review: "A big part of the first half was devoted to songs by Kurt Weill arranged by Paul Bateman, who arranged several other works on the program. Violinist Hope’s masterful uses of slides and various bowing techniques gave the music urgency and a 1930s and 40s feel."
Jennifer Koh performed solo works by Bach and Missy Mazzoli at the Adelaide Festival.
- Glam Adelaide: "The program is rounded out with Bach’s Violin Sonata No.3 in C Major. Koh tackles the counterpoint in this work with a clarity of voicing that is rarely seen, and is breathtaking to watch. "
Pekka Kuusisto performed Nico Muhly's violin concerto "Shrink" with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.
- The Scotsman: "Kuusisto had suggested the helter-skelter showpiece might be a self-portrait of Muhly’s own lightning-quick imagination, but it felt as much aimed at Kuusisto’s own exhilarating musical personality, with athletic leaps, folk-like rawness and soaring melodies too."
Vilde Frang performed the Elgar Violin Concerto with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.
- Yahoo News UK: "The accomplished Norwegian soloist Vilde Frang took command with her poignantly thoughtful entry and played with consistent expressivity throughout."
Braimah Kanneh-Mason performed with the London Philharmonic Orchestra in "The Chevalier."
- The Arts Desk: "The violinist Braimah Kanneh-Mason – Sheku’s older brother and another of the family’s rising stars – appeared as the musical aspect of Bologne’s personality, alternating between passages delivered with galvanising rapidity to moments where the violin sang out like a bird at dusk."
Andrew Ling performed Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons and Piazzolla’s Four Seasons of Buenos Aires with the Pan Asia Symphony Orchestra.
- South China Morning Post: "...to the delight of the audience, the principal violist of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra played the violin like a virtuoso."
Loh Jun Hong and pianist Abigail Sin performed as "More Than Music" in Singapore.
- The Straits Times: "Both players were in one mind throughout, bonded by a chemistry developed over the past decade, making for an impressive opening."
Please support music in your community by attending a concert or recital whenever you can!
You might also like:
- Interview with Hilary Hahn: New Bach Sonatas and Partitas Recording Completes the Cycle
- Review: Violinist Simone Lamsma Plays Bruch with the LA Phil
- Exploring Music By Black Composers, a Graded Repertoire for Violin
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March 23, 2023 at 10:48 AM · I heard Vilde Frang live yesterday playing the Elgar. What an incredibly multifaceted, brutal concerto! So much respect for soloists like Frang who have really conquered this mountain of a concerto.