Search - Edward Elgar, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Colin Davis :: Elgar: Violin Concerto; Vaughan Williams: The Lark Ascending [Hybrid SACD]

Elgar's Masterpiece

Isaac Ho | 12/25/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"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."

Superior artistic values and excellent SACD surround sonics

Paul Dickinson | Chicago, IL | 03/11/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ordinarily I don't like mixed programs, but this SACD is great. Today's violin soloists are so well trained that we tend to forget the difference between great technique and great timbre. Hilary Hahn has both. The sound is warm, present, very well balanced, and happily not excessively biased toward the rear channels in SACD format. So if you're looking for a splendid new Elgar Violin Concerto that offers superior artistic values and excellent SACD surround sonics, this is definitely the one to get."