The Week in Reviews, Op. 517: James Ehnes, Gil Shaham, Julian Rachlin

September 16, 2025, 10:02 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 James Ehnes. Photo by Chris Christodoulou/BBC.

James Ehnes performed Bernstein's Serenade after Plato's "Symposium" with Sinfonia of London and John Wilson at the BBC Proms.

The Guardian: "Wilson has made this orchestra one of the UK’s best, Leonard Bernstein’s Serenade featuring violinist James Ehnes boasted a vast colour palette, from ambivalent nattiness via melancholy, diaphanous textures to vibrant surges of strings. Ehnes was an ideal musical interlocutor: entirely poised, his tone lucid, even as the ringleader of the final movement’s urbanely folksy dance."
Seen and Heard International: "Violinist James Ehnes proved an ideal soloist, his silvery tone and unforced virtuosity drawing the listener in from the outset. The opening ‘Phaedrus – Pausanias’ combined nobility with rhapsodic freedom, Ehnes shaping the long lines with a sense of quiet intimacy."
Bach Track: "It’s a work that’s difficult to love, but James Ehnes has it comfortably under his skin. His silky playing across its five movements (and seven poets) ranged from serenity and profundity to the jazzy inflections of the Alcibiades section to close."
Broadway World: "After such a masterful performance from Ehnes, it was only right that he returned to the stage for an encore - even if he admitted to having selfish reasons for doing so, after being given the opportunity to play an Alard Stradivari at this concert (“I think that this is, in fact, its Proms debut”, he joked). The fourth movement (“Allegro assai”) of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Sonata No. 3 in C major was a delightful way to close the first half, sending the audience into the interval all abuzz."

Gil Shaham performed Beethoven’s Violin Concerto with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra.

Calgary Herald: "He has a technique that seems to make the technique disappear. Instead, it is the lyrical passages that stand out, as well as his precision in tuning in one of the most difficult aspects of playing the violin. The audience just ate it up."

Julian Rachlin performed Sibelius's Violin Concerto with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony and Alain Altinoglu.

Bach Track: "In his interpretation of Sibelius’ Violin Concerto, Julian Rachlin underscored the work’s brooding, symphonic character rather than treating it as a virtuoso showpiece. "

Cellist Nicolas Altstaedt performed Schumann's Cello Concerto in A minor with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra in their season debut concert.

Violinist.com: "He tossed off fast arpeggios and high notes down at the end of the fingerboard with ease and precision and created a variety of voices, at times gentle and still, then very vigorous."

Asi Matathias performed in recital with pianist Matthew Graybil in La Jolla, Calif.

San Diego Jewish World: "There were no histrionics or choreography in his playing, only sincere, concentrated musical beauty, performed with the confidence of a seasoned artist."
Seen and Heard International: "In Robert Schumann’s Cello Concerto, Nicolas Altstaedt – swashbuckling in presence and purpose – kept the line clean and direct, with an amatory intensity that never sagged into overstatement."

Stella Chen performed the Barber Violin Concerto with Brevard Music Center Orchestra and Leonard Slatkin (in July).

The Strad: "Her intonation and phrasing were consistently impressive and, while flawless rhythmic perfection between soloist and orchestra could not be expected at an outdoor venue, BMCO came close, with only a few hiccups when the orchestra beat Chen to the down-beat."

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The Week in Reviews, Op. 517: James Ehnes, Gil Shaham, Julian Rachlin

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