The Week in Reviews, Op. 80: Anne-Sophie Mutter, Lisa Batiashvili, James Ehnes

Written by Laurie Niles
Published: April 28, 2015 at 10:18 PM [UTC]

Anne-Sophie Mutter performed the Berg with the New World Symphony.

• South Florida Classical Review: "A glamorous presence and deeply probing artist, Mutter did not disappoint. Eschewing the flashy romantic concerto repertoire, she gave outstanding performances of a twentieth century masterpiece and the American premiere of a score created for her by the late Swiss composer Norbert Moret."

Anne-Sophie Mutter. Photo © Harald Hoffmann / DG

Lisa Batiashvili performed the Tchaikovsky with the Staatskapelle Berlin.

• The Guardian: "Lisa Batiashvili was the ferocious soloist in Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto, intense in the first movement, luminous and heartfelt in the second, scintillating in the quickfire finale. It was a faultless performance, enthralling and electrifying."
• The Telegraph: "Lisa Batiashvili, the soloist in Tchaikovksy’s concerto, may not have the huge personality of Argerich, but she had a similar impatient energy and a purity of tone, which burned away any hint of sentimentality."
• The Independent: "She brought classical restraint to this high-Romantic music, with no indulgence in swoops or slides apart from the ones dictated by the score, and she delivered those – even when rapidly double-stopped – with flawless ease and precision; for the Canzonetta she found a chaste beauty of sound."

James Ehnes performed the Nielsen with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.

• Herald Scotland: "James Ehnes's multi-faceted performance of the Nielsen concerto caught the essence of the piece, in its wit, its flashing drama, its high-speed and abrupt changes of temperament, its tenderness and lyricism, and its almost bloody-minded individuality which insists on the mercurial music following its own star and no established template."

David Kim performed Saint-Saëns Violin Concerto No. 3 with the Omaha Symphony.

• Omaha World-Herald: "...he played with precise technical command and a passion that was at times anguished, others tender and altogether beautiful to behold. It is demanding to play, and Kim dominated with dynamic articulations and artful flourishes that were by turns soft and dynamic."

Josef Spacek performed the Mendelssohn with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra.

• The Guardian: "He played Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto with great sensitivity and admirable technical poise."

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