Music : Schoenberg Violin Concerto Op.36/Sibelius Violin Concerto Op.47

Rating: - More Hilary Hahn, Please
I am lucky enough to live in a part of the world frequented by artists of the highest caliber; with respect to violinists, in the past few years, this has included Anne-Sophie Mutter, Gil Shaham, Maxim Vengerov, Andrew Manze, Joshua Bell, Midori, and more. I have seen Hilary Hahn seven times, both in concerto and recital performances, and her appearances stand out among the rest. That is remarkable, given her willingness to bridge chasms of genre from Bach to Stravinsky, Paganini to Schoenberg, with all of them exceptionally played (I do admit that I find her Mozart --with Zhu -- a bit sterile, my tastes running to the Podger-Cooper Sonata recordings, but I'm hoping that the new Lisitsa pairing will revitalize her recital appearances). I will concede that I have made the geeky trek backstage to meet-the-artists events, and found her every bit as personable as she is talented.

The Schoenberg-Sibelius album, then, is not so remarkable as it is consistent with her genius. I worry about the reviews that precede mine and their emphasis on the difficulty (and alien qualities) of the Schoenberg, that they might make potential buyers shy away from this disc. Miss Hahn's abilities and enthusiasm for the piece disguise its otherness, to the point where it seems organic with the majority of major works of the 20th century: a fan of Shostakovich' Seventh or Prokofiev's Sixth will not feel lost among the notes played here.

Miss Hahn has carved out a violinist's niche in the Classical world much the same as Cecilia Bartoli's in the vocal arena: she has a loyal fan base (me among them) who will follow her wherever she chooses to go. And her artistry has earned her that loyalty.

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Rating: - Impressive on every level
As a fan of the Sibelius concerto, I was anxious to hear Hilary Hahn's version of the piece. I think that this concerto shows Hilary Hahn at her absolute finest and that she continues to mature as an artist. There is more restraint and tension and power and sheer emotion, than I think I have heard in any other piece that she has recorded. And that is saying something. The playing of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra is as fine as any I have ever heard in any concerto recording ever. The attention to detail in the score is exceptional. The balance between the soloist and the orchestra is perfect, the recorded sound flawless. This is just pure perfection.

Some might have called this a highly commercial recording. What it is, is a highly successful recording. The pairing this time of the Sibelius with the lesser known Schoenberg getting first billing, shows Hilary Hahns artistic authority and maturity.

The Schoenberg concerto was something new to me, and I am still getting to know it. It's a rather modern piece to my ear, and the violin part sounds very difficult. Hahn handles it flawlessly, as usual, and the solist and orchestra again seem to be of one mind. Schoenberg is certainly a change of pace from the usual works that are so often recorded. The two pieces, Sibelius and Schoenberg make a good paring (do to the contrasts) however and after all the intricacies of the Schoenberg, the Sibelius is just the right remedy with all of its warm lyrical romanticism. But it, get to know it, and enjoy it!

P.S. Upon further listenings... the Schoenberg is most certainly music, despite what you might read elsewhere.

The Schoenberg is an expression human emotion, conflict and peace. It is the intricate details of thought, dissonant, often removed. And the piece seems to me to be very personal, expressing real sentiment. The early middle 20th century in which Schoenberg lived was often a turbulant time, full of questions, often without answers. Music is not melody alone, and yet the Schoenberg does contain melody, and many melodies. Not the long romantic melodies of say a Tchaikovsky, but precise, concise melodies, snippets of shifting thought contrasted against deep reflections. I would say of the orchestration that it is very colorful, percussive and full of tension, vitality. It sets you on edge. It is not completely removed from the musical world of Stravinsky's violin concerto, more modern and yet in a more traditional concerto construct. It is an intellectual concerto in my opinion, that I am still learning better with each listening.

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Rating: - Clearly she's among the giants
I'm absolutely astonished with this recording. I'm an old string player with a doctorate from the Manhattan School of Music and I have studied the Schoenberg Concerto for years. I know firsthand just how difficult it is (you literally have to learn a new way to finger some passages, using your ring finger and not the pinky for the highest notes because the ring finger can reach farther up on lower strings!).

But the difficulties are not only technical: the piece is VERY romantic and it's EXCEPTIONALLY hard to bring that to it. I never hoped in my lifetime to hear a recording of this concerto as natural and lyrical as this one. Hahn has captured perfectly the atmosphere and drama of the piece. This could easily do for the Schoenberg Concerto what Isaac Stern's recording of the Berg Concerto did for that work.

My amazement is made the more so by the fact that for years I resisted even listening to Hahn's recordings: too young, couldn't be ready for the works she was performing. When I finally did condescend to hear her, I immediately bought everything she had ever done. She's a superb performer (she and Janine Jansen are arguably the two most musical young violinists on the scene today; and Jansen has shown no signs of being nearly as adventurous).

But when I heard she had recorded the Schoenberg Concerto, I have to admit that even with that background, I was skeptical. The work is just too much - it's tempting to think that it's too much for a human being. I'm glad I never gave in to thinking that: now I know it isn't true. This recording is amazing!

About Salonen little need be said: everything he touches turns to gold. The orchestra, of course, could easily have ruined things; that they rise to the level demanded by such a superb soloist and conductor speaks volumes for their remarkable abilities. I look forward to hearing much more from them.

The Schoenberg Violin Concerto has finally joined the Piano Concerto as a major brainchild of the composer, not merely a respected but unheard stepsister. I know it's not quite so adventuresome, Hilary, but perhaps a Berg Concerto to go with this one? At the right tempi, which I know you (unlike so many) will find?

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Rating: - {~~}==# HILARY HAHN - SCHOENBERG & SIBELIUS in dramatical seriousness and a singing Violin Voice
HILARY HAHN brings out these two great, dramatic and ensouled pieces of the violin literature in her beautiful, crystally clear violin tone and intonation and with her outstanding musical understanding of these pieces, while the orchestra interacts perfectly and in full harmony with her violin play. Unmistakably, HILARY HAHN'S unique and very beautiful violin tone becomes audible in this recording remarkably, the tone of her playing which is so fine and almost so precise one may think such a precision is too good to be true, and as of which one is able to distinguish her violin tone and playing from the one of her violinist colleagues.

Of course, everyone should have their very own opinion on HILARY HAHN'S wonderful interpretations of these two great musical pieces as recorded on this CD. However, I'm really convinced that HILARY HAHN has proceeded with her violin play and musicality in this recording, and has again tied in with her previous recording, the Paganini/Spohr CD, fabulously the quality of her musicality which she has, in my opinion, even exceeded with this recording, which seeks comparison. Last year I had heard HILARY HAHN perform the Schoenberg violin concerto live on stage, and therefore, I do feel that my superb impressions I got from her playing this concerto in that concert and the special charm of her interpretation are true, and I am very happy about this recording of hers. I find that the whole arrangement of HILARY HAHN'S interpretation in this recording suits really fine; the wonderful colours of her violin tone, which is in marvelous harmony and cleverness with her unique technique, and the orchestral part harmonise fully with her interpretation, the interpretation of the conductor interact in a finely structurised musical unification with HILARY HAHN'S violin play. HILARY HAHN and the conductor manage in this recording to raise these two phantastic pieces to their challenging technical and musical level and beyond.

My personal favourite of this recording is the Sibelius violin concerto, whose beautifulness I may only describe as follows: In a manner of making her violin sing and making its voice shine brightly and with passion throughout these beautiful pieces HILARY HAHN attracts the listener to her very finest and most ensouled tones, so you might feel you stick with each note. HILARY HAHN GETS VOCAL again - not only in her previous album, the Louis Spohr and Nicolò Paganini violin concertos HILARY HAHN achieved such a "singing" violin voice and tone. I'm sure there is also something of her previous recording that she has transferred also into this one! But, please, everyone find out this for themselves!

For those of you who are interested, please also take a look at HILARY HAHN'S promo video which was recently posted on YouTube.

My very most enthusiastic recommendations again also for this first-class album of HILARY HAHN! Mazal tov to the magnificent and lovely HILARY HAHN!


Finally, also my great congratulations to the photographer for the beautiful photos, especially for this superb cover photo and for the photo of enthusiastically smiling HILARY HAHN which appears when opening the CD! This is a truly modern, imaginative CD design - please Deutsche Grammophon continue also such modern CD designs!

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Rating: - Most will come for the Sibelius, but the Schoenberg is spectacular
Most listeners will approach the Schoenberg Violin Cto. in the mood of "take your medicine, it's good for you," so I'm glad that Hilary Hahn makes a point of placing it first on the program. Her reading sweeps the field. It is amazingly enthusiastic and exciting, and with Salonen as the ideal partner, I could hear the work not as a modernist puzzle but as a satisfying emotional experience. Colors are vivid; the soloist is placed very close to the mike. Everything, in other words, is done to heighten visceral impact. I still couldn't follow Schoenberg's intellectual convolutions, but that hardly mattered since I was enjoying myself. Another big step in trying to hear Schoenberg's atonalism the way we hear Mahler and Strauss.

Salonen had already made a first-rate Sibelius concerto recorded with Cho-Liang Lin. It was musuclar and colorful and quickly became a top choice among critics. However, recorded sound has made advances since the 90's, and Hilary Hahn's version, also musuclar and colorful, gives us more detail and naturalness in both the violin and orchestra. I'm struck by how much more forceful a player she has become. The opening bars are intense rather than floating and mysterious. Which means a certain sacrifice of atmosphere -- by comparison Joshua Bell seems philosophical and muted.

Salonen is a cool-tempered modernist, and he doesn't linger anywehre; the slow movement presses forward with a steady tread where others bask in its melancholy. Conductor and soloist are single-minded in the finale, which gets punched out a bit too much for my taste but is undeniably forceful. In all, the only fault I can find with the whole performance is a lack of nuance, which may not bother others who respond more to overt excitement.

In sum, Hahn continues to be a crowd favorite, a growing talent, and well deserving of the spotlight.