The Week in Reviews, Op. 5: Tasmin Little, Simone Lamsma, Renaud Capuçon

Written by Robert Niles
Published: October 22, 2013 at 5:11 PM [UTC]

Tasmin Little played the Bruch with the Royal Philharmonic
Bucks Free Press: "It was wonderful to see a performer thoroughly enjoying herself; she must have played the piece a thousand times, but still gave it her all."

Margaret Blades premiered James Ledger's Violin Concerto with the West Australia Symphony Orchestra
The West Australian: "The solo part, presented with focused finesse by Margaret Blades, is fascinating, fertile fare for fiddlers."

Simone Lamsma performed Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "It demands a soloist with both great technique and beautiful tone, and Lamsma is certainly that." (Note: The concert also included a moment of silence for the orchestra's contrabassoonist, Andrew "Drew" Thompson, 27, who died after suffering a heart attack last Tuesday.)

Recording: Renaud Capuçon performs Saint-Saëns' Violin Concerto No. 3 with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France; and Gautier Capuçon performs Saint-Saëns' Cello Concerto No. 1
The Telegraph: "These two concertos might be among his more familiar works, but these sensitively imagined performances make for essential listening."

Did you attend a concert this week? Please tell us about it, in the comments!