The Week in Reviews, Op. 422: James Ehnes, Augustin Hadelich, St. Lawrence String Quartet

October 25, 2023, 9:45 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 James Ehnes. Photo by Ben Ealovega.

James Ehnes performed the Barber Violin Concerto with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

Ludwig Van Toronto: "Cultivating a velvety tone in the first movement, he emerged from the pack in the Andante, which also featured a plaintive oboe solo. The relentless perpetuum mobile finale — not Barber at his best — was spotless."

Augustin Hadelich performed the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.

Violinist.com: "This was Mendelssohn on fire - fast and exhilarating in the outer movements, with liquid gold in the center for the middle movement."

The St.Lawrence String Quartet performed with violinist Scott St. John and violist Sharon Wei at the Bing Concert Hall Studio at Stanford University.

San Francisco Classical Voice: "This was a quiet and unpretentious concert, but the quality and care of the music-making — and the St. Lawrence players’ ability to carry on in Nuttall’s absence — resulted in a warm and welcome program."

Stefan Jackiw performed Bruch's Scottish Fantasy with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra.

Arts Knoxville: "...in the big picture, his narrative style was a masterpiece of musical storytelling that embraced Scottish folk tunes and Bruch’s Germanic underpinning."
Violinist.com: "He dialed back his rich sound (and gorgeous vibrato) to show us the true heart of the music, which lies in its simple, haunting melodies, not the fiery variations upon which they are based."

Veronika Eberle performed Mozart's Violin Concerto No 3 and Toshio Hosokawa's "Genesis for Violin and Orchestra" with the Hong Kong Sinfonietta.

South China Morning Post: "...the German soloist immersed herself in this new world of sound with deep conviction....Where more urgency and extended technique came into play, Eberle’s playing was ever assured."

Concertmaster Naha Greenholtz performed Shostakovich's Concerto No. 1 in A minor with the Madison Symphony Orchestra.

The Cap Times: "The cadenza was perhaps the stand-out moment of Friday night’s concert....As the cadenza progressed, I found myself acutely aware that the solo violin was filling up the entire concert hall, and I was fixated on every last vibration of its strings. Greenholtz’s playing was gripping."

Augustin Hadelich performed in recital with pianist Orion Weiss at the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater.

Washington Classical Review: "The violinist played with an astounding assurance and musicality, as he has in every local appearance since his debut in 2009. This time, adding to the appeal, he seemed to have an almost ideal partner in pianist Orion Weiss."

Jennifer Koh performed "Bach and Beyond" and "Alone Together" at Music Institute of Chicago.

Third Coast Review: "A sign of a great performance is an artist illuminating aspects that had previously been hidden, and that’s what Koh did in the 10-minute fugue that comprises the second movement (of Bach's Sonata No. 3 in C-major)."

The Sitkovetsky Trio performed Schubert’s B flat Piano Trio and Tchaikovsky’s Piano Trio at Two Moors festival,.

The Guardian: "(Tchaikovsky’s Piano Trio is) heard too rarely, but when played with the kind of conviction and authority that the Sitkovetsky brought to it here, it was an overwhelming experience, and well worth the trip to Exmoor all on its own."

META4 performed at the Library of Congress's Coolidge Auditorium.

Washington Classical Review: "The experience of listening to this esteemed (Finnish string quartet), playing the repertoire for which they are celebrated, lived up to their reputation."

The Pacifica Quartet performed in recital at the University of Chicago's Mandel Hall.

Chicago Classical Review: "Pacifica’s interpretation was unusually lyrical, sometimes bordering on the sentimental. (Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 15 in A Minor, Opus 132) is known for its beauty, but not for its prettiness. Yet whenever there was an opportunity to make the music pretty, to bring out the sweetness of the melodies, the quartet as a whole (and first violinist Simin Ganatra in particular) seized upon it."

Janice Martin performed electronic violin with the Sioux City Symphony - while hanging from silks suspended over the stage.

Sioux City Journal: "She rocked the silks and offered her part of “Danse Macabre Op. 40” with all sorts of contortions. "

Elisso Gogibedaschwili performed Otar Taktakishvili's Violin Concerto No. 2 with Sinfonia Toronto.

Ludwig Van Toronto: "Elisso Gogibedaschwili, an Austrian born in 2000 and frequent flyer with Sinfonia Toronto, played the soaring high-position melodies with suitable intensity. Sparks flew in the finale. Written expressly (and well) for a string orchestra, the 17-minute score of 1985 deserves a place in the repertoire. "

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The Week in Reviews, Op. 422: James Ehnes, Augustin Hadelich, St. Lawrence String Quartet

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