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The Week in Reviews, Op. 533: PatKop, Himari, Vadim Gluzman

January 21, 2026, 12:11 AM · 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.

Patricia Kopatchinskaja performed Bartók's Second Violin Concerto with the London Symphony Orchestra and Simon Rattle.

• The Arts Desk: "The Magyar dance elements had all the earthiness they really need, but rarely get, with totally justified barefoot stamping from Kopatchinskaja matched to spot-on intonation; the dreamier aspects had visionary intensity; and there was plenty of humour, especially in the scherzoid variation just before the end of the Andante tranquillo. "
• The I Paper: "Kopatchinskaja is a theatrical soloist, but her performance was about more than personal charisma. An artist who never lets the grass grow under her (shoeless) feet, she fused extreme technical virtuosity with an interpretation so electrifying it was as if she had written the concerto herself."
• Bach Track: "It is easy to overlook the occasional slightly rough passage or moment of intonation less than dead centre when there is such a passionate power of communication. Her rapturous reception was certainly well deserved."

Himari Yoshimura performed Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 with the Sarasota Orchestra.

• Observer: "Himari is a once-in-a-generation artist of awesome capabilities. This time reality almost surpassed the hype...."

Vadim Gluzman performed the Brahms Violin Concerto with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra.

• Arts Knoxville: "The Brahms concerto is an obstacle course of technical challenges that Gluzman handled with an unbelievable effortlessness, coupling those gestures of perfectly rendered double and triple stops with a beautifully painted lyrical Romanticism."
• Violinist.com: "His recent appearance with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra under Maestro Aram Demirjian was an opportunity to be transported to the golden age of violin playing. The Brahms Violin Concerto seems woven into his musical DNA and it was nothing short of revelatory."

Lisa Batiashvili performed the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with the Oslo Philharmonic and Klaus Mäkelä.

• Bach Track: "Batiashvili’s performance showed a level of granularity that made even the most familiar phrases feel newly etched. This was especially evident in the concerto’s long, high-register cantabile lines, sustained on extended bows with unwavering intonation and tonal focus."

Ray Chen performed the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in West Palm Beach, Fla.

• South Florida Classical Review: "His virtuosity was unquestionable, as he tossed off the energetic runs and triplets that give the concerto so much of its popularity. And he did this in the fearless manner of someone who wasn’t worried about hitting a wrong note or two, not that he had many of those. "

Trio Seoul performed at the Winter Chamber Music Festival at Northwestern University.

• Chicago Classical Review: "Highlights included an incandescent violin solo by Jinjoo and virtuosic playing from Brannon, who had been more in the background until this point. Led by Jinjoo’s engaging physicality, Trio Seoul’s playing was expressive but never overwrought, and the climaxes of the piece were well paced."

Leonidas Kavakos performed the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with the KBS Symphony Orchestra in Seoul.

• Bach Track: "Leonidas Kavakos’ reading of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto was built on exposure rather than varnish. The image was a skeleton clock: the dial removed, the gearing visible. "

Please support music in your community by attending a concert or recital whenever you can!

You might also like:

• The Week in Reviews, Op. 532: Augustin Hadelich, Vadim Gluzman, Randall Goosby
• The Week in Reviews, Op. 531: Benjamin Beilman, Renaud Capuçon, Maxim Vengerov
• The Week in Reviews, Op. 530: Veronika Eberle & Jean-Guihen Queyras; James Ehnes; Randall Goosby

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