The Week in Reviews, Op. 319: Anne Akiko Meyers; Joshua Bell; Sayaka Shoji

August 31, 2021, 12:22 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.

Violinist Anne Akiko Meyers. Photo by David Zentz.

Anne Akiko Meyers performed the world premiere of Arturo Marquez's Violin Concerto "Fandango" with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl.

Los Angeles Times: "In Márquez’s concerto, he allows Meyers to revel in her virtuosity… Dance rhythms do what they’re supposed to, making feet tap and nerves tingle… That may well translate into a dance-driven concerto having legs."
San Francisco Classical Voice: "Fandango sometimes seems too long for the good of its material, but with Dudamel giving the rhythms a sharp push and Meyers maintaining her poise particularly when the third movement cranks up the level of virtuosity, the piece made an invigorating impression outdoors."

Joshua Bell performed Vivaldi's Four Seasons and Piazzolla’s The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields at the BBC Proms.

The Guardian: "The Vivaldi was elegant and cool, perhaps fractionally too much so, and the Piazzolla-Desyatnikov altogether more exuberant, deftly capturing the contrast between the latter’s streetwise urbanity and Vivaldi’s evocation of the natural world...Bell played with his customary sweetness of tone throughout, and considerable flamboyance in the Piazzolla."
iNews: "The rapport between Bell and his players is obvious. Solo and duet passages brought Caroline Dale’s cello and Robert Smissen’s viola into the foreground, each echoing Bell’s sweet, singing tone and relaxed delivery, performances less about speed and dazzle than spacious detail and sung lines."

Sayaka Shoji performed the Brahms Violin Concerto with the Cleveland Orchestra.

ClevelandClassical.com: "...midway through the first movement, Allegro non troppo, she had found her footing, and the cadenza was masterful, a real dialogue for one."

Patricia Kopatchinskaja performed Bartók’s Violin Concerto No 2 with BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra at the BBC Proms.

The Guardian: "Above all, though, it was Kopatchinskaja’s own characterization of every note that made the performance so compelling."
Evening Standard: "As the Bartók concerto got properly underway, Kopatchinskaja began to show her full range, from a husky, wistful tone down to the slenderest thread of sound and on to explosive, fast-fingered pyrotechnics. The music’s strong rhythmic drive coursed through her body, her bare feet slapping on the floor like an extra percussion instrument."

Jonas Zschenderlein performed a virtual Bach tribute with the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra.

The Sydney Morning Herald: "Spouting fire but masterfully controlled, the Presto from the solo Violin Sonata in G minor reveals Zschenderlein as a passionately articulate advocate for Bach’s musical arguments, a quality strongly evident in a muscular but graceful account of the E minor concerto."
Limelight Magazine: "...the Brandenburg strings are as fine and focussed as ever and the gutsy playing of Jonas Zschenderlein is an exciting contrast."

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