The Week in Reviews, Op. 219: Giora Schmidt; Gil Shaham; Noah Bendix-Balgley

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.Giora Schmidt performed Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2 with the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra.

• Isthmus: "Schmidt played it brilliantly, with perfect precision and verve.... In all, it was a wonderfully absorbing performance by a superb musician."

Gil Shaham performed Bartók's Violin Concerto No. 2 with the New World Symphony.

• South Florida Classical Review: "Through most of his performance...Shaham played with the clean style and preternatural bow control for which he is known. But he knew when to bring a touch of Hungarian mountain fiddler to his playing, when he dug in to produce a grinding buzz when the concerto’s rapid passagework reached the violin’s lowest string."

Noah Bendix-Balgley performed the Beethoven with the Alabama Symphony.

• Arts BHAM: "Most striking...was the ease with which he allowed this work to unfold. Each arpeggio, octave leap and legato scale was effortlessly imparted. A dainty solo accompanied by pizzicato strings in the Larghetto was especially sublime. Cadenzas in all three movements were composed by the violinist, each brimming with double- and triple-stop passages that tied closely with Beethoven’s themes."

Jennifer Koh performed works by Bach, Ravel and Janácek in recital with pianist Reiko Uchida.

• Palm Beach Daily News: "It was an eloquent performance (of the Bach Partita No. 2 in D minor) that gave full value to lyric elements in the music but never inclined toward lushness or sentimentality."

Veronika Eberle performed the Schumann with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra.

• New Zealand Herald: "This concerto has its admirers....Here, it simply seemed stolid with too many stentorian blasts of full orchestral tutti, the only emotional engagement coming when soloist and orchestra shared its gentler second theme."

William Hagen performed the Brahms with the Fort Worth Symphony.

• The Dallas Morning News: "The Brahms certainly displayed Hagen's gleaming tone and well-honed technique, but it felt like a young man's account of a piece with depths yet to be plumbed."

Gil Shaham performed works by Kreisler, Bach, Franck, Wheeler and Dorman in recital with pianist Akira Eguchi.

• Arts ATL: "Their performance (of the Franck Sonata) was fittingly full-bodied, masculine in temperament, without being overdone in its most emotionally intensive moments."

* * * In other news: A Walk With Mr. Heifetz, a play written by James Inverne and directed by Andrew Leynse, opened in New York.

• New York Times: "Inspired by real people and events in the decades leading up to the foundation of Israel, Mr. Inverne wants to make a point about the vital role of music in establishing a culture and knitting together a new nation....this play is an awkward amalgam of hastily sketched history, which will read clearly only to those who already know it."

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

• How Giora Schmidt found his modern violin
• Violinist.com interview with Gil Shaham: Bach Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin
• Berlin Concertmaster Noah Bendix-Balgley Returns to Pittsburgh to Premiere his Klezmer Concerto