The Week in Reviews, Op. 490: Hilary Hahn; Joshua Bell; Rachel Barton Pine

March 4, 2025, 12:35 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. Click on the highlighted links to read the entire reviews.

Violinist Hilary Hahn.

Hilary Hahn, in her first performance following a seven-month hiatus to recover from a nerve injury, performed the Brahms Violin Concerto with the New York Philharmonic and Matthias Pintscher.

New York Classical Review: "As for Hahn, not only did she show absolutely no ill effects, she came close to exploding with what seemed pent up physical and intellectual energy....Hahn was tremendous. Her technical virtuosity and big, clear, ringing sound are a given, and there is no one who equals her in this concerto. What was special Wednesday was how she played with something close to fury."

Joshua Bell directed and performed Bach’s Double Violin Concerto in D Minor with San Francisco Conservatory of Music student Fiona Cunninghame-Murray with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.

San Francisco Classical Voice: "Most striking about this performance was how the shared material transformed as it changed hands. In the same part of the bow, Bell was soft and silvery while Cunninghame-Murray sounded impassioned, with wilder offbeats and, in the finale, extra fire to her second fiddle."

Rachel Barton Pine performed Haralabos (Harry) Stafylakis’s Violin Concerto, "Weighted" with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and Daniel Raiskin.

Winnepeg Free Press: "Stafylakis's latest intensely dramatic work was sparked by the increasing perils (and promise) of artificial 'super-intelligence,' a.k.a. ASI, which threatens humankind with its own extinction. The premise is more than timely, and indeed, many moments during the highly visceral, 28-minute piece chill to the bone. The NYC-based composer immediately establishes his scorched-earth sound world with Pine, a fellow metal devotee. Her initial, frantic shrieking entry on her amplified fiddle was further heightened by thundering timpani rolls, belching brass, pungent tone clusters and vertigo-inducing string glissandi."

Daniel Hope performed Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major and other works, as he directed the Polish Chamber Orchestra in Atlanta.

EarRelevant: "His approach balanced precision with spontaneity, lending a conversational quality to the musical phrasing. The first movement sparkled with elegance. The 'Adagio' was the emotional centerpiece, performed with exquisite lyricism, while the Rondeau finale was delightfully dance-like."

Nancy Zhou performed in recital with pianist Weicong Zhang at NEC's Jordan Hall in Boston.

The Boston Musical Intelligencer: "The most successful marriages are often those in which partners feel free to express themselves, but also agree to support each other in mutual endeavors. That’s also true in chamber music partnerships...Audiences sometimes forget that a 'violin sonata' is really a sonata for piano and violin in which the two instrumentalists are equal in importance. This applied Saturday evening in Jordan Hall when the Franck Sonata was performed by violinist Nancy Zhou and pianist Weicong Zhang. Their performance of the sonata...was among the finest this listener has heard in the last 30-odd years."

Gil Shaham performed Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61 with the Palm Beach Symphony.

City Biz: "American phenom Shaham, one of the foremost violinists of our time, brought this remarkable concerto to life. Sought after throughout the world for concerto appearances, he embodies flawless technique combined with inimitable warmth and generosity of spirit."

Gabrielle Després performed Korngold's Violin Concerto with the Spokane Symphony.

The Spokesman-Review: "Després gave us a musical simulacrum of the human mind at work – hoping, doubting, achieving and celebrating. This requires a technique capable of varying tone color and dynamic level throughout a phrase – sometimes within a single note – and Danielle Després commands all the technique needed to accomplish this and, indeed, anything else she feels is needed to interpret a piece of music truthfully and feelingly."

Andrew Haveron performed Edward Elgar’s Violin Concerto with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Simone Young.

Limelight: "(Haveron's performance), the first of three for this tour, was beautifully constructed from the quiet, low-key entry after a long orchestral build-up to the virtuoso workout of the marching final movement’s cadenza."

Janine Jansen performed Bernstein's "Serenade" with the London Symphony Orchestra and Antonio Pappano in Miami.

South Florida Classical Review: "Well known in Europe as a chamber music player as well as soloist, Jansen’s American appearances have been too rare in recent years. She commands a tonal palette that soars and sings while infusing every bar with tension and distinct personality. Her intonation remained clean and lines transparent, even in the double stops and passages in the instrument’s highest register. Jansen’s ability to play softly with liberal portamento brought out the work’s strengths while minimizing its overheated theatricality."

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