Search - Samuel Barber, Edgar Meyer, Hugh Wolff :: Barber & Meyer: Violin Concertos

Outstanding Barber

J. Rich | 10/13/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"m starting to come around to Hilary Hahn as a player. When I first heard her, I was put off by certain aspects of her playing, but now I've finally come to appreciate what she brings to the table. Her tone isn't as full as say Joshua Bell, Gil Shaham, Viktoria Mullova, or Anne Sophie Mutter, but her overall drive and determination put her in the same ring as these players and may very well surpass them. Technically Hahn is flawless and her performances are almost partly detached emotionally, which gives her a certain introspection not found in many of the violinists I've heard. Hahn is, without a doubt in my mind, a virtuoso with a bright future. Her playing is also very clear as she plays almost transparently where you can hear how defined the structure of the music actually is. She also seems to serve the music more than herself, which is an admirable trait in a soloist, especially of Hahn's caliber.





Hahn's playing on Barber's "Violin Concerto" is, without question, one of the finest I've heard and she's battling some stiff competition from Bell, Stern, Perlman, and Shaham. I can say she succeeds in outperforming these fine violinists. Her technique is flawless. I disagree with one reviewer who said the third movement "Presto" was bland. They must have been listening to another recording (probably Previn), because she blew my mind with her rush of energy and amazing virtuosity. I'm almost convinced that this performance will not be bettered by any other violinist. Only history will tell now.



The Meyer "Violin Concerto" is actually not too bad of a piece of music as some reviewers would have you to believe. I have only listened to it once. Further listening will tell me how well I end up liking this concerto.



The conducting from Hugh Wolff is highly sensitive and overall very pleasing. He keeps up with Hahn which is no easy task for any conductor. She leaves most conductors scrambling for their baton. The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra also provide superb accompaniment. Highly detailed and only forceful when the music calls for it. The audio quality is also excellent. Sony, in more recent years, have perfected their audio engineering and this performance benefits from the SBM (Super Bit Mapping) technology.



I think this disc deserves the high praise it's received. Highly recommended."