The Week in Reviews, Op. 440: Leila Josefowicz, Gil Shaham, Midori

March 12, 2024, 1:51 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 Leila Josefowicz. Photo by Tom Zimberoff.

Leila Josefowicz performed in recital pianist John Novacek at Walt Disney Concert Hall.

San Francisco Classical Voice: "You could not ask for a more cohesive pair of musicians than Josefowicz and Novacek. You could almost say they are musically joined at the hip, their communication is so intuitive."

Gil Shaham performed Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Chicago Classical Review: "Mendelssohn’s buoyant concerto fits the popular American violinist like a finely tailored glove—both in terms of Shaham’s sunny temperament, as well as his easy virtuosity and quicksilver charm. Even in music as familiar as this, Shaham found a way of making Mendelssohn’s concerto emerge as fresh and involving—an unexpected dynamic drop here, slight decelerando to savor a phrase there, or the burst of extra acceleration near the end of the first movement."

Midori performed Dvorák’s Violin Concerto in A minor with the Prague Philharmonia.

BachTrack: "Midori offered... a riveting performance of Dvorák’s Violin Concerto in A minor, blending brilliant technique with a wellspring of feeling. She matched the intensity of the orchestra in the opening movement and then soared above it, spinning out the intricate solos like fine golden threads."

The Carducci Quartet performed a show called "Life, Letters and Friendship" with actor Anton Lesser in Southampton, U.K.

: "Together, they shaped a fascinating traversal of string quartet movements by Dmitri Shostakovich...Their shared sense of identity and involvement with the music was unmistakable, as too their collective response to the composer’s brooding, hysteria and impish wit."

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