The Week in Reviews, Op. 393: Simone Lamsma, Kerson Leong, Borromeo String Quartet

March 28, 2023, 4:06 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 Simone Lamsma. Photo by Juan Carlos Villarroel.

Simone Lamsma performed Benjamin Britten’s Violin Concerto with BBC National Orchestra of Wales.

Nation CYMRU: "This was a powerfully intense performance which captured the concerto’s bittersweet lyricism and its often sinister sense of danger....Lamsma was captivating in the cadenza. She brilliantly developed a sense of foreboding and restlessness, painting a picture of a troubled spirit searching for peace."
The Guardian: "Her eloquent performance suggested an artist in complete possession of everything about this work, living every moment of the solo part while also connecting closely with her fellow instrumentalists."

Kerson Leong performed Paganini’s Violin Concerto No. 1 with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra.

Green Valley News: "When well-played, Paganini’s music can rival Macy’s 4th of July fireworks over the East River in New York. Leong plays like that....What a future this young virtuoso has ahead of him. His playing is already magnificent. Little wonder the Toronto Star called him 'not just one of Canada’s greatest violinists but one of the greatest violinists, period.'"

The Borromeo String Quartet, performed a recital at the University of Southern Maine’s Hannaford Hall in Portland.

Portland Press Herald: "Beginning with Joseph Haydn’s 'String Quartet in F Major, Op. 74, No. 2 (1793),' the Boston-based quartet quickly established a high degree of technical acumen and collective identity in working through a spirited and at times playful work that helped set the standard for composers in the centuries to come."

David Coucheron and Justin Bruns performed the Bach Double with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

EarRelevant: "One colleague suggested that this performance was the 'most Baroque' the ASO has sounded in years—a credible observation. It certainly was not the romanticized kind of approach still heard on occasion; likewise, not the opposite tack of original instruments and historically informed performance practice that changes every 15 years. No, this is an orchestra playing modern instruments, but that doesn’t prevent adopting conceptualization that tries to envision how to realize a composer’s musical intent."

Helen Hwaya Kim performed in recital with pianist Robert Henry at Kennesaw State University in Georgia.

: "Kim and Henry made the meticulous 'Allegro molto' first movement (of Fauré’s Violin Sonata) shimmer. The reflective 'Andante' movement led to a scampering scherzo ('Allegro vivo') with a more melancholic trio. The performers brought the rippling rondo of a finale across as a thrilling tour-de-force within a framework of restraint."

Sunny Kim performed Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D Major with DeKalb Symphony Orchestra, as winner of its Young Artists Concerto Competition.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "This was Kim at her finest. She never lost her command of the complex phrases no matter how softly they were delivered."

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The Week in Reviews, Op. 393: Simone Lamsma, Kerson Leong, Borromeo String Quartet

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