The Week in Reviews, Op. 441: Philippe Quint, Lisa Batiashvili, Josef Špacek

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.Philippe Quint performed the world premiere of Errollyn Wallen's violin concerto with the Calgary Philharmonic.

• Calgary Herald: "The score is replete with many special effects for the soloist and challenging passages to play. Quint showed himself to be fully equal to the considerable demands of the piece, performing by memory (no mean feat here) and with remarkable fluency....the concerto will be performed with several other orchestras, and Quint will be a persuasive and committed champion of the new work."

Lisa Batiashvili performed Sibelius's Violin Concerto with the San Francisco Symphony and Esa-Pekka Salonen.

• San Francisco Chronicle: "Batiashvili’s solo performance, by turns self-possessed and fiery, was enough to make a listener regret her long absence."
• BachTrack: "Lisa Batiashivili performed the Violin Concerto in D minor with power, command and control. Salonen built the orchestral texture around her exceptional sound; however, Batiashivili remained the centrifugal force, precise and assertive. She and Salonen layered the sound with exactness, creating a deliberate design that seemed spontaneous, the timpani grounding the whole. Short elongated violin calls accented frequent rhythmic shifts with fresh color."

Josef Špacek performed Bohuslav Martinu’s Violin Concerto No. with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

• Chicago Classical Review: "Making his CSO debut, Josef Špacek proved a sterling solo advocate for this strange yet oddly endearing score. The Czech violinist was fully in synch with the motoric opening movement, his steely technique handling the angular bonhomie as surely as the passing lyrical strains."

Rachel Barton Pine performed Samuel Barber's Violin Concerto with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic Orchestra.

• WBOI.org: "We witnessed a great musical partnership because Pine played with great strength and beauty, while the Philharmonic provided a strong and secure foundation."

Tamsin Waley-Cohen performed Chausson’s "Poème" with the China Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra.

• BachTrack: "...Waley-Cohen made light work of its technical difficulties, notably tricky double-stopping, and shaped the result eloquently from the subdued introspection of the opening through to an impassioned climax then back to the sombre tones of the conclusion."

Please support music in your community by attending a concert or recital whenever you can! You might also like:

• The Week in Reviews, Op. 440: Leila Josefowicz, Gil Shaham, Midori
• The Week in Reviews, Op. 439: Liza Ferschtman; Pekka Kuusisto; violist Tabea Zimmermann
• The Week in Reviews, Op. 438: Julia Fischer, Geneva Lewis, Benjamin Beilman and Curtis on Tour

* * *

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.