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| | Violin Concertos | | | Music Artist : | | Hilary Hahn | | Music Style : | | General | | Record Label : | | Sony | | Release Date : | | 2002-11-05 | | Store Price : | | $8.99 | | Artistopia's Price: $8.98 | | Usually ships in 24 hours | | |
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CD Tracks/Songs
Disc 11. Allegro Molto Appassionato
2. Andante
3. Allegretto Non Troppo - Allegro Molto Vivace
4. Nocturne. Moderato
5. Scherzo. Allegro
6. Passacaglia. Andante
7. Cadenza
8. Burlesque. Allegro Con Brio
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Other Artist Albums
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Customer Reviews of This Album/CD |
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 A must-have Mendelssohn!
Submitted on: 2009-03-01 |
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For any fan of the violin, Hilary Hahn is simply one of life's joys these days. Her technique is staggering -- beyond even other virtuosi in the way Heifetz was a little beyond the other great violinists of the mid-20th century.
But Hahn is also a thoughtful musician. Who doesn't love Perlman, but so much of his work at this age was technically lush, but interpretively dry and dull. Hahn, by contrast, is a thinker and a risk-taker. Even if you cringe at her interpretations some times (and I don't for the most part) you have to admire her willingness to try for a fresh take. She will develop and develop, and I hope I'm still around when she is making her third and fourth recordings of these pieces in her 50s and 60s.
Anyway, this Mendelssohn is fantastic. The third movement alone is worth the price of the CD -- she takes a very fast tempo and just whips up this wonderful sweet confection. |
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More than barbed wire and tanks
Submitted on: 2008-08-02 |
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I have in the past thought of Shostakovich in terms of barbed wire, tanks, and icy winters. This, until the orchestra in which I play viola, performed his 5th Symphony. I was overwhelmed by the power of it, and by the deep sadness I felt in it, in parts. With this in mind, I re-visited other works of his, including the First Violin Concerto. I first acquired a version with Maxim Vengerov as soloist, and was stunned at what I had overlooked in the music in the past. I then purchased this album, since Hilary Hahn has been my favourite violinist for some time. I have listened to the last three movements by each soloist repeatedly. I find both performances to be excellent, but, on balance, Hilary Hahn's interpretation is more moving, and it is intensely moving in places. To my ear, her tone has a depth and intensity, even darkness, which fits the music magnificently. I am astonished that a person of her age (and physical statue) can summon such power and maturity in a demanding composition such as this. I highly recommend this CD.
I also recommend another of her CDs, "Hilary Hahn Plays Bach", most especially for her interpretation of the Chaconne. I believe this is one of the great compositions in western music, and I have heard no better performance than hers, again partly due to her wonderfully deep tone, but also due to the magic of her own interpretation. I have listened to this track many times, and never cease to be deeply moved.
I haven't even listened to the Mendelssohn concerto yet.
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Hilary Hahn: a new Heifetz is borning
Submitted on: 2008-05-12 |
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| Without a doubt, Hilary Hahn is a new Heifetz. This CD is proving this. Her impressive quickness and accuracy in Mendelssohn's and Shostakovich's concertos indicate that Hahn will become the legend of the century. This CD was the best violin recording that I have heard. |
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 Mendelssohn, 3rd Movement
Submitted on: 2006-10-30 |
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Hilary Hahn has a great technique. I loved her Bach even more than Grumiaux's. I figured you couldn't lose with the stuff she uses. I was wrong. What in the world did this young lady do to the 3rd movement of the Mendelssohn? Did she have to run off to the loo or something? I bet the conductor's arm nearly fell off when she sprinted away. She lost all clear articulation when she did that and she also lost the orchestra in a couple of places. As a violin teacher, I would have to tell her to come back to that passage and play it again, slower, and with some clear articulation.
It was so rushed I couldn't catch up enough to hear some music. It looks I'm going to keep listening to the old guys on this one ;-). Isaac Stern's and Fritz Kreisler's have left pleasant memories. |
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 Amazing technique
Submitted on: 2006-07-18 |
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| This is probably the most virtuosic and technically dazzling recording of the Mendelssohn I've ever heard. Unfortunately, it was too fast (particularly in the third movement) to convey much depth. The opening of the third movement is one of the most dramatic in the entire repertoire, but the drama/suspense was killed because she rushed through it. Even the timing is off - she suddenly speeds up for no apparent reason shortly after the tempo change, immediately before the introduction of the theme. Mendelssohn wrote the opening to create a sense of anticipation about the presentation of the theme, but this anticipation is not conveyed in Hahn's recording because she speeds through it and doesn't even hold a steady tempo. That was my biggest complaint about the recording, although the rest of it seems to be primarily about displaying her impressive technique, rather than playing with any real depth. As mentioned in other reviews, Heifetz's famous recording is a great example of a virtuosic and moving performance of this piece. Hahn's falls short in this regard. In any case, my favorite recordings of this concerto are Midori's live performance with the Berliner Philharmoniker and Salerno-Sonnenberg's. |
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