The Week in Reviews, Op. 493: Théotime Langlois de Swarte; Noah Bendix-Balgley; Vadim Gluzman

March 26, 2025, 3:37 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.

Baroque violinist Théotime Langlois de Swarte.

Théotime Langlois de Swarte performed Antonio Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons with Les Arts Florissants.

San Francisco Classical Voice: "Théotime Langlois de Swarte...asked the audience...to forget hearing the concertos in endless commercials, elevators, lobbies, and waiting rooms and just concentrate on the inspired music. And then he and the group delivered on that wish with a performance that nearly took the roof off the theater."

Noah Bendix-Balgley performed his own "Fidl-Fantazye: A Klezmer Concerto" with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.

BlogCritics: "Bendix-Balgley’s concerto proved an action-packed journey through dances with wild rhythmic swings, key-signature flips, and virtuosic fiddling courtesy of the composer himself, directing the orchestra while playing his heart out. The show was as entertaining to watch as it was to hear." (Note: Noah Bendix-Balgley premiered his Klezmer Concerto in 2016 with the Pittsburgh Symphony. Read our interview here.

Vadim Gluzman performed Brahms’s Violin Concerto with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.

Ludwig Van Toronto: "...the slow movement made the best impression, owing to an elegant oboe solo as well as Gluzman’s sweet sound and lyrical style. The violinist then handily filled the hall with his encore, a simple serenade by the newly popular octogenarian Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov."

Hilary Hahn performed Brahms’ Violin Concerto with the National Symphony Orchestra.

South Florida Classical Review: "From her first entrance in the Allegro non troppo, Hahn’s singing tone, and varied dynamic and color palette were most impressive. Maintaining a forward lyrical line, Hahn fully enveloped the heart of Brahms’ mix of passion and virtuosity."

The Calidore String Quartet performed works by Beethoven, Jessie Montgomery, Schubert and Korngold with at at Jordan Hall in Boston.

Boston Musical Intelligencer: "Violinists Jeffrey Myers and Ryan Meehan, violist Jeremy Berry, and cellist Estelle Cho—all virtuosos with an interesting personalities-unfailingly speak, breath, thinks, and feels as a single organism."

Madeline Adkins performed Glazunov’s Violin Concerto with the Utah Symphony and David Danzmayr.

Utah Arts Review: "Adkins certainly indulged the audience with her lustrous, lyrically infused playing."

Alexi Kenney performed Bartok’s Violin Concerto No. 2 with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra and Matthias Pintscher.

San Diego Jewish World: "When I closed my eyes and listened, I realized Kenny was delivering a magnificent interpretation of Bartok’s dramatic work, a work filled with Hungarian folk idioms and virtuosic hurdles. The second movement of the concerto is a theme with six variations, and the final movement is actually a dance-like variation of the first movement. The young virtuoso tossed off the last movement with great bravado."

John Dalene performed works by Grieg, Lutoslawski and Sibelius with pianist Christian Ihle Hadland at Wigmore Hall (in January).

The Strad: "Dalene skipped through the rapid will-o’-the-wisp writing in the opening movement of Lutoslawski’s Partita, chirruped neatly through the birdy noises of the Ad libitum and later produced outbursts ofI ferocity."

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The Week in Reviews, Op. 493: Théotime Langlois de Swarte; Noah Bendix-Balgley; Vadim Gluzman

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