Search - Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, Jean Sibelius, Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields :: Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D / Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D

Good Tchaikovsky; great Sibelius.

D. R. Schryer | Poquoson, VA United States | 09/18/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Leila Josefowicz clearly is a very good violinist. I was impressed by her rather brisk performance of the Tchaikovsky concerto but not moved by it. I prefer the more-balanced performance by Sarah Chang, of those currently available on CD.The Sibelius concerto is another matter entirely. This is probably the finest performance of the Sibelius concerto I've ever heard. I can't think of anything that could improve on it. In my opinion, the Tchaikovsky merits 4 stars, but the Sibelius merits 5. If you're looking for a great performance of Sibelius' passionate, darkly brooding masterpiece, buy this CD. You'll get a spirited performance of the Tchaikovsky concerto as a bonus."

Superstar

D. R. Schryer | 06/14/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"About 10 years ago I stumbled on a live performance by Leila when she was a student at age 15 at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. She played the Sibelius concerto with piano accompaniment. It absolutely blew me away. If you think her music is full of emotion and passion, you should see her perform...especially at age 15. I wish someone had filmed it, because it was truly a most remarkable performance.After that, I caught just about every free concert Leila gave at Curtis (always for free!). I heard her do the Bartok solo a few times and many of the pieces in "Bohemian Rhapsodies". I was always blown away. I will never forget those Leila concerts at Curtis. I am disappointed that she is not considered a superstar now. I love her CDs."

Very Energetic, but a little harsh at times...

Donald G. Hite III | Houston, Tx USA | 05/23/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I agree with another poster that Leila's playing can be a little bit harsh at times on this recording. It sounds to me like the microphone was really close to the violin, because at times the violin is disproportionately loud compared to the orchestra. I would imagine that if you heard these performances live, they would be better.



The Tchaikovsky is great, though I think sometimes the transitions between sections can be a little rough. Her technique, however, is flawless and very exciting to hear such a powerful performance. The last movement is quite aggressive, but that isn't necessary a bad thing.



The Sibelius is not one of the best I've heard, though it is certainly competent. Similar to what I mentioned on the Tchaikovsky, on many spots in this concerto (particularly the third movement), the violin just sounds too loud and the general balance doesn't sound natural to me. I think this is particularly problematic because so much of this concerto places the violin against the orchestra (as opposed to playing "together") and I think that the balance issues really distract fromt this effect. Also, the last movement in particularly just sounds a little too harsh for my tastes, compared to someone like Midori or Joshua Bell who plays this piece with a beautiful fluidity. I don't necessarily mind harsh on this piece (I enjoy Salerno-Sonnenberg's rendition which is quite aggressive as well), but I think that Leila's harshness is more of a distraction than a stylistic effect.



Overall this is a good CD for the Tchaikovsky. On both pieces, Josefowicz's technique is very clean and accurate and her playing is never boring or stagnant, though I would say there are much more mature and stylistically appropriate recordings available of these pieces. Thanks"