Elgar: Violin Concerto; Vaughan Williams: The Lark Ascending [Hybrid SACD] [Hybrid SACD - DSD]

Edward Elgar (Composer), Ralph Vaughan Williams (Composer), Colin Davis (Conductor), London Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), Hilary Hahn (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Hilary Hahn
• Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra
• Conductor: Colin Davis
• Composer: Edward Elgar, Ralph Vaughan Williams
• Audio CD (November 9, 2004)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Hybrid SACD - DSD
• Label: Deutsche Grammophon
• ASIN: B0002HN14I
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #22,510 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #30 in Music > Classical > Historical Periods > Modern, 20th, & 21st Century > Composers > Vaughan Williams, Ralph

Editorial Reviews

No Description Available
No Track Information Available
Media Type: SACD
Artist: ELGAR,E.
Title: CON VN 61
Street Release Date: 11/09/2004
Domestic
Genre: CLASSICAL COMPOSERS

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Elgar's Masterpiece, December 24, 2007

By 

Isaac Ho - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Elgar: Violin Concerto; Vaughan Williams: The Lark Ascending [Hybrid SACD] (Audio CD)

There are many things wrong in the world which we live in; one of them is the fact that this concerto is so rarely played. As a devoted audiophile, I honestly can't think of a violin concerto that matches the emotional depth of Elgar's. In many ways, this is the greatest violin concerto ever written; it is technically and emotionally to the violin what Rachmaninoff's 3rd is to the piano. Having listened to renditions by Perlman, Menuhin, Heifetz, and Kennedy, I recently decided to give Hahn a try.

Hahn's version is the most intonationally accurate one out of them all, including Heifetz's. But her affinity for accurate playing is precisely her problem: she doesn't take any chances. Everything feels catered towards what's technically convenient rather than what's musically vibrant. Her tone is always smooth, her vibrato always consistent, but something feels lacking. She brilliantly flies through the technical passages of the concerto, particularly the final 2 minutes of the first and third movements. But it is during the intimate sections that she leaves the listener wanting more. There are no slides, shifts, or changes of vibrato which give you goosebumps. It's somewhat of a tragedy that such a gifted violinist did so little with such beautiful melodies. That being said, this concerto is such a great work in itself that a straight, ordinary recording such as this would still be worth the price.

For a unique and completely unordinary recording, I highly recommend the Heifetz recording. More so that any of the other violinists, Heifetz plays this concerto with an extremely great sense of taste. Every shift and slide has its own color and meaning. The virtuoso passages are played with fiery passion while the soft passages are played with vulnerability and delicacy. The best example of the latter is his final repetition of the D-E-F#-A-A theme in the cadenza. The way that he plays that one shift conveys deeper feelings than Hahn could ever express in 10 minutes of less-intellectual playing. This is not to denigrate her recording at all, but to point out just how unique Heifetz is.The one difference you will have to get used to is his brisk tempo. If you can get over this small difference and really listen for what he puts into the soft passages, this recording will pay off big time.

So to sum things up, if you don't have a recording of this concerto, GET ONE. If you already have one, get Heifetz's.

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorites, January 27, 2012

By 

Shaun Broderick - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Elgar: Violin Concerto; Vaughan Williams: The Lark Ascending [Hybrid SACD] (Audio CD)

This is one of my favorite albums of Hilary. The Lark ascending is just incredible and probably my favorite piece she plays. If you even need to relax, this is your song. The Elgar is well-executed and played with great fineness. Hahn makes a great duo with the LSO and really brings this piece alive. The Elgar seems to have been written ahead of it's time and is greatly innovative.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars so-so, November 1, 2010

By 

K. Coleman (OK, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Elgar: Violin Concerto; Vaughan Williams: The Lark Ascending [Hybrid SACD] (Audio CD)

I'm only reviewing the Williams.
The timbre and intonation are perfect. I love the trills. They are very crisp and clean. The double stops are very nice, clear but not strident. Ms. Hahn has loosened up a bit, it would seem, since her earlier recordings, yet she still plays a little too academically. This is romantic music and should be played more freely. In her recording of the Bach concertos she takes too many liberties, and here she holds back. I would like to hear her play more in the galant or high viennese style. Her vibrato is a bit mechanical, and her phrasing is often counterintuitive as the arpeggios ascend and descend to and from the upper register. I would also like to hear more dynamic variance, especially in the repeated patterns. She's a bit loud sometimes and doesn't have anywhere to go as she breaks away to expand the theme. Overall though, it's beautifully performed, and I enjoy it. It's one of my favorite pieces from one of my favorite composers. There are recordings of better performances to be sure, but the sound quality here is excellent. I can hear her fingers touching the finger board in places. The orchestra seems a bit muddled, but the dampened progressions in the orchestra contrast well against the brilliant tone of the soloist throughout most of the work. The exception would be the lively quaver triplet section in the middle of the piece. I would enjoy a crisper timbre from the orchestra there.