The Week in Reviews, Op. 471: Gil Shaham; Karen Gomyo; Patricia Kopatchinskaja

October 15, 2024, 10:05 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 Gil Shaham. Photo by Chris Lee.

Gil Shaham performed with Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto with Matthias Pintscher conducting the New York Philharmonic.

The New York Times: "Difficulty of any kind appeared to be banished in Mendelssohn’s radiant violin concerto with the charismatic Gil Shaham as soloist."
New York Classical Review: "Warmth arrived at last in the Andante, with its throbbing string phrases and gentle woodwinds supporting the violinist’s elegantly soaring line. The richness of his instrument’s lower register was also welcome."

Karen Gomyo performed Dvorák's Violin Concerto with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal.

Bach Track: "Dvorák's Violin Concerto in A minor may not be widely viewed as a barn-burner; nonetheless Karen Gomyo’s top-tier performance brought the house down."

Patricia Kopatchinskaja performed Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 1 with the London Philharmonic Orchestra in Santa Barbara, Calif.

San Francisco Classical Voice: "In the end, it was the reckoning, enlivening force of soloist Patricia Kopatchinskaja that made the concert memorable....She shifted gamely and organically from the wary, whispered phrases of the enigmatic Nocturne to the dervish-like whorls of the Scherzo, the micro-drama of the cadenza, and the infectious ferocity of the final Burlesque’s mad choreography between ensemble and soloist."

The Los Angeles Philharmonic and Gustavo Dudamel performed a three-concert series in Carnegie Hall.

The New York Times: "There are, perhaps, clues to Dudamel’s New York future in his Los Angeles present, which was on exhilarating display over three evenings at Carnegie Hall this week. He led the Los Angeles Philharmonic in concerts that reflected his gift for must-hear programming and his open-minded disregard for genre, his welcome belief that at a high enough level, all music can be art."

James Ehnes performed Dvorak's Violin Concerto with the Houston Symphony.

EarRelevant: "The highlight of his appearance was the encore, Eugène Ysaÿe’s iconic Ballade. He started the Ballade with a whisper of sound, as if waking from a dream, and continued in an improvisatory manner, engaging the audience with every note along the way."

Leila Josefowicz performed Thomas Adès' Violin Concerto, Op.24 "Concentric Paths" with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.

Arcana: "Assured in her handling of the solo part, Josefowicz dovetailed it unerringly into orchestral writing as resourceful as any the composer has written. "

The Spokane String Quartet performed in recital in Spokane.

The Spokesman-Review: "(Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate’s 'Pisachi' quartet), though unconventional, demands precise execution, impeccable intonation and exacting control of tone color, all of which the Spokane String Quartet delivered faultlessly."

Concertmaster Noah Geller and principal cellist Efe Baltacigil performed Brahms' Double Concerto with the Seattle Symphony.

The Strad: "Their well-matched advocacy proved especially compelling in the first movement, which unfolded with moments of gripping suspense mixed with an expansive sense of friendship. "

Vilde Frang performed Bach's Concerto in E, BWV 1042 with Arcangelo.

The Guardian: "...she stood within the body of the ensemble, communing with the players around her, taking the outer movements at a brisk speed, the passagework mercurial and with striking dynamic effects. Yet it was the exquisitely expressive central Adagio that, in this fine church acoustic, carried a transcendent quality."

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The Week in Reviews, Op. 471: Gil Shaham; Karen Gomyo; Patricia Kopatchinskaja

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