The Week in Reviews, Op. 2: James Ehnes, Jennifer Koh, and Itzhak Perlman in concert

October 1, 2013 at 5:49 AM

Each week, Violinist.com brings you links to reviews of professional violin performances from around the world.

James Ehnes performed the Khachaturian with the Waco [Texas] Symphony Orchestra
Waco Tribune-Herald: "The lithe violinist commanded the piece's technical demands — nimble arpeggios, double stops, finely subdivided beats, sustained lines —yet always found the music within the notes."

Soovin Kim performed the Beethoven with the National Philharmonic [Washington, DC]
Washington Post: "Soloist Soovin Kim…playing with a sweetness that held a hint of the muscular and an immaculate clarity that never seemed precious."

Jennifer Koh performed the Mendelssohn with the Rochester [New York] Philharmonic Orchestra
Democrat and Chronicle: "Koh tended to get out of the way of the sumptuous melodies, content to let them unfold of their own accord and without bluster."

Anne-Sophie Mutter performed the Tchaikovsky with the Philadelphia Orchestra
Philadelphia Inquirer: "Bold, strange, perverse, and extreme are all words that were applicable to the way she played one phrase full out, the next one barely audible, changing speeds almost as frequently, playing staccato one minute and ultrasmooth the next - all geared to achieve maximum contrast in every way."

Mutter also performed the Dvorak with the Cincinnati Symphony
Cincinnati Enquirer and ConcertoNet: "It was mesmerizing to watch Mutter's fresh view of this romantic work, which unfolded with great spontaneity."

Itzhak Perlman performed the Tchaikovsky with the Cleveland Orchestra
The Plain Dealer: "In every respect, Perlman's reading was that of an artist who knows and loves Tchaikovsky deeply."

Pinchas Zukerman performed and conducted Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor with the National Arts Centre Orchestra [Canada]
The Ottawa Citizen: "Pinchas Zukerman was the soloist and conducted with his bow. This isn't standard or even recommended practice in romantic concertos, but Zukerman and the orchestra pulled it off nicely."

In addition, we have two reviews of recordings for you this week:

Pekka Kuusisto performs Magnus Lindberg's Violin Concerto
The Guardian [United Kingdom]: " Pekka Kuusisto attacks the glittering and glistening solo writing with relish."

Lisa Batiashvili performs the Brahms
The Straits Times [Singapore]: "Batiashvili plays on a 1715 Stradivarius that was once owned by Joachim himself. Its tone is sweet and light, which adds to the album's attraction."

Did you attend a concert or listen to a new violin recording this week? Please tell us about it in the comments!

Tweet