By Laurie Niles: 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.![Anne Akiko Meyers]()
Violinist Anne Akiko Meyers. Photo by David Zentz.Anne Akiko Meyers performed Arturo Márquezs "Fandango" violin concerto with the Princeton Symphony Orchestra.Colin Jacobsen performed his own arrangement of Beethovens Violin Sonata No. 9 "Kreutzer" with The Knights.Pekka Kuusisto performed Thomas Adèss violin concerto "Concentric Paths" with the Berliner Philharmoniker.
Violinist Anne Akiko Meyers. Photo by David Zentz.
- NJArts.net: "Meyers virtuosity and discipline was on full display. From a technical standpoint, Márquezs work is like Beethovens challenging, physically demanding Violin Concerto. Its loaded with diverse rhythms and repetitions and its Mariachi-adjacent phrases and Spanish themes are a prestissimo marathon of speed and endurance."
- Town Topics: "The first movement 'Folia Tropical' had an exotic feel from the outset, with solo violin emerging over shimmering orchestral strings. Depicting an ancient dance from Spain and Portugal, the movement was played with Spanish lilt and percussive offbeat rhythms. Meyers solo line remained in mid-range, later soaring into the upper registers with fierce intensity."
- PrincetonInfo.com: "Then came guest violin soloist Anne Akiko Meyers to display her musical wizardry with Arturo Marquez Fandango, composed in 2020-2021 expressly for Meyers....The first movement, titled 'Folia Tropical,' suggested ancient Iberian dances. However, the composer notes that, in French, the word 'folie' means madness, and there was much controlled madness in Meyers swift, skilled playing."
- Washington Classical Review: "Jacobsen took the solo part with flair, accompanied with occasional stridency by the chamber ensemble."
- Utah Arts Review: "...the Serbian-French Radulovic turned in an interpretation that was idiosyncratic and at times indulgent yet made musical sense....The violinists dazzling technique and precise articulation were on full display during the fiery third movement."
- Evening Standard: "(Marsalis) could not have asked for a more persuasive advocate than Benedetti, and the RNSO players lacked nothing in swing in what amounted to an anthology of classical, jazz, blues and Scottish folk."
- Financial Times: "Kuusisto has musicality in every pore, all of it leavened by his own brand of eccentricity. His account of Thomas Adèss violin concerto Concentric Paths is a tour-de-force, a stomping, swirling, passionate commitment to a score that without Kuusisto would have little appeal."
- Calgary Herald: "...her gentle stage presence and sumptuous playing were captivating...Gomyo has a particularly attractive violin tone, and even when the music is slow (and much of it is in (the Moussa concerto), one is drawn to the tone of the instrument, even as one might savour a superbly cooked French sauce."
- Deadline: " The way Williams camera maneuvers around Joseph while playing the violin is exquisite. Even the hair and makeup are tight. There are no loose strands, nothing is out of place....Robinsons script is sometimes on the nose, but she doesnt make him a sympathetic character, which is refreshing."
- Screen Rant": "As the titular character, (Kelvin) Harrison gets to flex his acting muscles in new and exciting ways, and the payoff, in a film that is a standout, is thrilling."
- Interview with Violinist Anne Akiko Meyers: Premiering Arturo Márquez's 'Fandango' Violin Concerto
- The Week in Reviews, Op. 369: Vadim Gluzman; Randall Goosby; Anne-Sophie Mutter
- The Week in Reviews, Op. 368: Lisa Batiashvili; Gil Shaham; Daniel Lozakovich
Enjoying Violinist.com? Click here to sign up for our free, bi-weekly email newsletter. And if you've already signed up, please invite your friends! Thank you.