Customer Reviews

Hilary Hahn - Barber & Meyer: Violin Concertos

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Here we have a disc combining the famous Barber concerto with a new concerto by Edgar Meyer (whose music I'm sure I've never heard before and therefore did not know what to expect). It proves an apt coupling as both pieces have "Americana" stamped all over them.

The Barber receives a warmly romantic performance from Ms. Hahn, who does not seem afraid of judiciously applied rubato to make her point. Perhaps she lacks a little toughness in the moto perpetuo finale, which seems bland, but the first two movements are soulful.

What makes this version special, however, is the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. Such a small ensemble means leaner textures, which allows all Barber's wonderful orchestral touches to shine out. In a few of the big romantic moments, some may miss the richer sound a larger string body would produce, but I didn't.

Buyers needn't be scared of the Meyer concerto either. Although it uses a few modern techniques, it mostly sounds like bluegrass combined with Aaron Copland's orchestral sensibility. In fact, I often got the impression that it ought to be background music for a Hollywood romance set in Kansas.

While not a masterpieces by any means (listen to it and then the Barber and you'll see the difference), the Meyer is a pleasant piece with some nice touches. Placed after the Barber, it certainly won't make you run to turn off the CD player after the Barber finishes. Hahn seems to have fun with the piece.

If I have one cavil about this disc it's the wretchedly short playing time (49 minutes). There is plenty of space for another piece--say Carlos Chavez's Concerto which desperately needs a good new version.

This is a remarkable disc, in the sense that a 19 year old kid is already being commissioned concerti for. I never previously thought of Hilary as the type to do contemporary music, but I guess 'tis part of her "precocious" image to be surprising.

At any rate, the recording of the Barber is perhaps as best as that piece can be recorded, and the last movement is sparkling with clarity, at a pace that's faster than (any other) speeding locomotive.

==> The real find in this disc, however, is the Meyer concerto, which is an absolutely gorgeous piece, so relevant in our turbulent new age. It is full of many styles and derivations, but the result is something completely unique (I feel), and extremely convincing.

It is unusual that I listen to any piece of new music more than once - yet the Meyer has found a way into my favorites, and I hope will find a way into yours as well. The performance of the Meyer (I assume the composer was present during the sessions) is great.

What next, Hilary?

The Barber/Meyer CD is just wonderful. The Barber benefits from familiarity, and Hilary's performance is great. The final "unplayable" last movement is both playable and musical. The Meyer is mysterious, with chorale-like passages. In movement two, the double-stops and polyphony are difficult and done to perfection.

I get the impression that Hilary Hahn is taking us all on a musical exploration. Her home page has journals or "postcards" from her world-wide tours. These, with her CD's are fresh adventures both for her and us.

hilary hahn and the very fine saint paul chamber orchestra have produced a disc of beautiful, unaffected music. the barber concerto, already a popular piece, is given a fresh and expansive treatment that carries the music far beyond its curious, anecdote-rich origins. the meyer - although here hahn seems less confident somehow - is put on the map by an attractive first recording that will encourage many imitators. hahn will add to her following with this disc.

After all the positive reviews I have seen pertaining to this recording, I must present a partially contrary opinion. Make no mistake, however, that I found this recording amazing--yet it truly lacks the art of interpretation on the part of Ms. Hahn.
As a violinist, I must profess that I am quite amazed at the recording--like almost all of Dorothy Delay's students, Ms. Hahn has produced an extremely solid performance. I strained to find any real intonation problems, and her spicatto/saute bowing in the final movement is impecable--she never misses a beat, all the way to the final arpeggio. And not to mention the incredible job on the part of the orchestra, which is almost as good as the soloist! The violins play the theme of the final movement almost as cleanly as Ms. Hahn does, and the flutes' handle the extremely difficult passages with great skill.
However, upon a closer look, Ms. Hahn's recording lacks much that makes the Barber concerto what it is. In general, her overall playing is very mechanical, as are most of her recordings, and the Barber is simply one of those pieces in which one must play with full emotion. Numerous other soloists do a much better job of pulling the mornfull woes out of the gorgeous melody than Ms. Hahn does. But the real problems are the in final movement. Ms. Hahn takes this movement at a blindingly fast tempo--and quite frankly, I am suprised that both the orchestra and conductor were able to sustain that fast of a tempo. While this is very virtuosic, it is simply not Barber. Like most of Delay's students, Ms. Hahn just machine-guns through the movement like Nadja Sonnenburg does in all of her pieces. Her tempo is not something that other violinists couldn't handle, and now suddenly Ms. Hahn is able too--quite the contrary, this is not the tempo Barber wanted. Some of the earliest recordings of this piece were made with Barber's supervision, and made to his approval. Ms. Hahn's cutthroat tempo is unstylistic and, quite fraknly, wrong. A lot of nuances are missed in this movement due to the insanely fast tempo, however well Ms. Hahn handles it.
Don't mistake, I am awed by the talent Ms. Hahn has--but I do not think this is her best recording.

This is my first music review for Amazon but I had to recommend this album as one of the most beautiful pieces of music I have ever listened to. [My musical taste runs from medieval plainchant to show music.] Hilary Hahn has incredible talent - I have followed her career since hearing an NPR interview when she was 13. The two pieces on this CD are lyrical, evocative and very American in feel. The Meyer has folk melody themes and is reminiscent of Copland. Hilary's virtuoso violin talent brings out the beauty of these compositions without being too showy. Her sound is rich and smooth and you only realize how technically demanding the works are when you listen very carefully. These are recordings to listen to over and over again.

Hilary Hahn's virtuostic, expressive playing like no other young violinist performer today. This is a fantastic disc, definitely worth getting. The Barber concerto is a great one, with a beautifully melodic second movement and a virtuostic third movement. Meyer's concerto was a surprise to me. Really quite beautiful, in a very lyrical kind of a way. Great sound recording as well.

What an amazing performance by a 19 year-old virtuoso fresh out of the Curtis Institute of Music! Although her career started years ago, she is freshly graduated and is taking the world by storm through her world concert tours and exquisite recordings such as this. In two difficult American concertos, Barber and Meyer, we see several sides of this world-class artist. Her spotless technique and expressive paleete are both evident in the Barber. The 3rd movement will leave you breathless! - Bravo! to the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra as well. The Meyer, a new work commissioned for her, is very different but always right at home in its American visions. The soloist is exceptional in the mood and lyricism the work calls for. This recording not only captures great interpretations of master works but a glimpse of genius on the part of the performer as well.

This is my first CD review on Amazon but I had to recommend this album as one of the most beautiful I have ever listened to. [My musical tastes run from medieval plainchant to show music.] Hilary Hahn has incredible talent - I have followed her career ever since hearing an NPR interview when she was 13. Her violin playing becomes more lovely with each recording (this is no. 3). The two works on this CD are lyrical, evocative and very American. The Meyer, in particular, has themes of folk melodies and is reminiscent of Copland. Meyer wrote this piece for Hilary Hahn and the work and her playing are stunning. This is a recording to listen to over and over again.

The debate continues to this date regarding the recordings of Barber's Violin Concerto, Op. 14. The cruel reality of comparing Hilary Hahn's performance with that of Joshua Bell's interpretation is simple personal preference rather than virtuostic accomplishment. Obviously, both have acquired supreme levels of technical skill. That being said, you must revert to their individual training and reverence for their teachers. Hilary Hahn was taught by Klara Berkovich and entered The Curtis Institute under the tutelage of Jascha Brodsky. Both Ms. Berkovich and Mr. Brodsky were themselves students of Tradionalism (especially Jascha Brodsky; a student of Eugene Ysaye). Joshua Bell was mentored by Josef Gingold. Noted for artistic sensibilities, Mr. Gingold surely passed this on to Joshua Bell. So you have two truly gifted, talented and well-taught violinists performing the same composition. The Traditional discipline projected through Hilary Hahn and the Artistc flair transmitted through Joshua Bell. Both recordings of The Barber Violin Concerto, Op. 14 are wonderful. Arguably, the orchestral involvement and engineering may have been superior on the Hilary Hahn disc, but that would involve entirely too much discussion for this forum. Enjoy both recordings and hope that someday more people will be enlightened by music and more students can be exposed to the teachers the likes of Berkovich, Brodsky and Gingold.