The Week in Reviews, Op. 196: Andrew Wan, Leonidas Kavakos, Joshua Bell

September 4, 2017, 12:18 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.

Andrew Wan performed Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1 with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.

Edmonton Journal: "His rich tone in the slow movement was gorgeous, matching the glow of the sun slowly sinking behind thin clouds in a haze of golden-yellow light. Rather unexpectedly, though, the highlight of the performance was the last movement."

Andrew Wan.

Leonidas Kavakos performed the Brahms with the Filarmonica della Scala.

The Guardian: "Brahms’s Violin Concerto, played with compelling seriousness by Athens-born Leonidas Kavakos, is weighty yet compressed and majestic. Lucerne’s beautiful – in all respects – KKL hall slightly favoured the soloist. Having followed Kavakos’s every supple trill and pliant detail, I was aware that the orchestra had not commanded such close attention."

Joshua Bell performed Lalo's "Symphonie Espagnole" with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Los Angeles Times: "Bell’s middle ground feels a little dated, not that there isn’t yet another fad for restoring early ’80s knickknacks. He tossed off the most difficult passages with admirable ease. He played expressive lyric melodies with creamy ease. If his pyrotechnics can seem generic, so what? Fireworks are another Bowl tradition."

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

Replies

172.58.217.38

September 4, 2017 at 10:41 PM · Sorry, but these are terrible reviews. Even in their entirety.

Not to say the reviewers perspective is valuable, but the actual reviews are terribly done.

Laurie Niles

September 4, 2017 at 11:27 PM · Such is the state of the art. Occasionally I run across a brilliantly-written review, but it's not very often. More often, the reviewer is a stringer who shows limited knowledge of the subject. The LA Times review this week, though, is written by that paper's regular reviewer. I'm not sure what his issue with Joshua Bell is, the " early ’80s knickknacks" is just puzzling to me but I was not at the concert, either. Or I would have written a review myself!