The Week in Reviews, Op. 386: Ilya Gringolts; Anne-Sophie Mutter; Alexander Sitkovetsky
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 Ilya Gringolts.
Ilya Gringolts performed four works as director and soloist with the Australian Chamber Orchestra.
- Limelight: "It’s difficult to imagine a more complete violinist than Ilya Gringolts. And even harder to imagine a more perfect performance than the one he gave of Max Bruch’s Violin Concerto in G Major, scaled down to fit the Australian Chamber Orchestra."
- Sydney Morning Herald: "Ilya Gringolts’ program as guest director and violin soloist with the Australian Chamber Orchestra provided a welcome platform for rarities and discoveries. Gringolts is a superb player with a distinctive sound and approach, carefully matching his tonal palette to the expressive and stylistic needs of each piece."
Anne-Sophie Mutter and the Mutter Virtuosi performed at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach, Fla. and at the Schwartz Center in Atlanta.
- The Classical Review (West Palm Beach): "Mutter’s bow flew across the strings in the rapid figurations (of Joseph Bologne's Violin Concerto in A Major), aided by the supportive playing of her 12-member orchestra. The concerto was full of pleasant melodies, especially in the outer movements, which Mutter played with style and a singing tone."
- EarRelevant (Atlanta): "Established in the spring of 2011, the Mutter Virtuosi is an ensemble of current and former scholarship holders of the Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation...The concert opened with Mutter sharing the solo stage with three of her young Virtuosi, violinists Nancy Zhou, Mihahil Ovrutsky, and Anna Szymczewska."
Alexander Sitkovetsky performed Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" and Piazzolla's "Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas" with the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra.
- The Cap Times: "Impressively, Sitkovetsky gave a marathon performance as the soloist in both works....His impressive ability to play the quickest passages cleanly and smoothly was second only to his delicate and thoughtful treatment of the slower passages. "
Randall Goosby performed the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.
- D Magazine: "Goosby is a solo performer who radiates enjoyment in his work. When the orchestra played without him, he bounced on his feet, feeling the rhythm. When he duetted with musicians behind him, he half-turned to watch their work. When the music got tough, he grinned as if it was nothing."
Ray Chen performed the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
- Violinist.com: "The highlight was the third movement, full of joyous music-making. He seemed happy and at-home, tossing it all off at high speed yet making every articulation speak."
Lisa Batiashvili performed the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with the Cleveland Orchestra in Naples, Fla.
- Gulfshore Life: "Even those of us who feel they’ve heard this Tchaikovsky beyond surprises were impressed by the intense, infectious performance. Batiashvili coaxes luscious sound from her Guarneri, rich and full. "
Hilary Hahn performed the Sibelius Violin Concerto with the New Jersey Symphony.
- NJArts.net: "A finale with rapid-fire string crossings and dexterous octave work showed off Hahn’s flexibility and fluidity. She floated the gentlest grace notes with ease. Re-entries with the orchestra were master classes in articulation, phrasing and pacing against the expressive strings."
Mateusz Wolski performed the Barber Violin Concerto with the Spokane Symphony.
- The Spokesman-Review: "So fresh and spontaneous was Wolski’s playing, so apparently limitless his range of color and expression, that he seemed to be improvising."
Tracy Silverman performed Roberto Sierra’s "Ficciones" concerto for electric violin and orchestra with the Vermont Symphony Orchestra.
- Rutland Herald: "Tracy Silverman, its dedicatee, delivered the incredible virtuoso solo part with his usual flair, pushing the limits of his six-string string electric instrument, including a wide variety of special effects. Silverman took his journey through a rapidly changing world Latin charm and rhythms, turgid passion, plenty of chaos and drama and never-ending color changes, ending with a wild violin cadenza. "
Jennifer Frautschi performed the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with the Portland Symphony Orchestra.
- Portland Press Herald: "The piece’s vibrant flow was spiritedly but assuredly kept intact as the soloist visited the transitional elements – from classical to romantic – that the composer helped to create. Her visit to the familiar themes of the second and last movements felt fresh in her hands."
Joshua Brown performed Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with MDR-Sinfonieorchester in Leipzig and Suhl, Germany.
- Freies Wort (in German): "In Suhl, the young American violinist Joshua Brown takes his audience by storm: effortlessly, he seems to have the part in his fingers and in his mind, with a youthful passion that does not tempt him to indulge. It satisfies, it ignites - and in the end the audience stomps with enthusiasm."
The Sphinx Symphony with conductor Tito Muñoz performed at the Kennedy Center.
- Violinist.com: "...Muñoz and the Sphinx Symphony played with a captivating dynamic range, never sacrificing clarity of orchestration and detail throughout."
Pianist Yuja Wang performed all five of Rachmaninoff’s works for piano and orchestra with the Philadelphia Orchestra at Carnegie Hall.
- New York Times: "To these scores’ vast demands she brought both clarity and poetry. She played with heft but not bombast, sentiment but not schmaltz. Her touch can certainly be firm, but not a single note was harsh or overly heavy; her prevailing style is sprightly, which is why the concert didn’t feel like eating five slices of chocolate cake in a row."
- Financial Times: "I believe Rachmaninov offers a very beautiful and dignified sonic inquiry of everything it means to be human; Wang’s ability to reconcile the many complexities of the moment with such grace, even joy, was notable. The audience staggered out into the Manhattan dusk, as one, all changed; all humbled; all grateful for that ticket."
Please support music in your community by attending a concert or recital whenever you can!
You might also like:
- The Week in Reviews, Op. 385: Janine Jansen; William Shaub; Lisa Batiashvili
- The Week in Reviews, Op. 384: Nicola Benedetti; Alina Ibragimova; Lisa Batiashvili
- The Week in Reviews, Op. 383: Nemanja Radulovic; Isabelle Faust and Antoine Tamestit; Isidore String Quartet
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Nice to hear Ilya Gringolts is doing well. Our more recent v.com members may be interested to hear that when he was younger and still growing towards becoming an international soloist and leader, he was quite regularly posting here on the discussion forum!
I assume Gringolts played Bruch G minor? Unless there is a lesser-known G major concerto?
Good point, Jocelyn - that was a direct quote from the reviewer, who must have gotten it wrong! I'm sure it was our old friend, the G minor!
Mutter shared the stage with three of her young Virtuosi, including violinist Nancy Zhou. Zhou is 30 years of age. These days a "young virtuoso" is more like 12. But yes, Zhou is a wonderful musician.
Major vs. minor -- what's a half-step among friends?
Hey, this concerto is a little dour, what if I just make this little change to help cheer people up?
LOL I want to hear the Bruch G major and be cheered....
With a whole-step modulation at the end of the third movement, perhaps?
Like the Igudesman & Joo "Alla Molto Turca" sketch?
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February 8, 2023 at 06:59 PM · I went to see the Skride piano quartet a few days ago, playing Frank Bridge, Dora Pejacevic and Brahms quartets. It was an unsatisfying concert due to the lack of ensemble in terms of unity of sound, intonation and just being together.
Baiba Skride on violin played very consistently flat, and she suddenly had to change a string in the middle of a movement, but came back still playing flat. The ensemble as a whole didn't seem to blend or decide on intonation, with the intonation of the ensemble deteriorating as the concert went on. I guess it's made up of 4 soloists, but it seemed like they didn't put in the work to really make a polished chamber group. Could have been an off-night.