Hilary’s back

Hilary’s back

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norman lebrecht

November 16, 2014

After a four-month absence with muscle strain, the violinist Hilary Hahn will ease herself back into the schedule tonight with a Beethoven concerto in Regensburg, at the university hall.

Then she continues on tour with the Luxembourg Philharmonic and Josh Weilerstein to Nuremburg, Friedrichshafen, Munich and Luxembourg.

Good to have her back.

hilary hahn latest

(Back is the new front.)

Comments

  • Hilary says:

    I like her Encore CD…music by living composers,including Richard Barrett from the UK. Sadly, many big name artists are fixated only on the past, but this is not the case with Hilary Hahn.

  • Anonymus says:

    Great to have her back, may she receive as much love in what she is doing as she is giving.

  • Milka says:

    The Encore CD bit was nothing but a publicity stunt ..She’s back with the
    Beethoven …what else is new ?

    • Esteban says:

      so let’s see… one of the world’s greatest living musicians was out due to injury. when she comes back she chooses one of the greatest works in the repertoire. meanwhile, all you can do is be a troll. gotta love the internets.

      • Milka says:

        To some it may be a great violin concerto to others not..obviously
        you think it great and I shall resist
        labeling you for that thought. She is celebrated
        for playing the violin well, as can dozens of others .It is good she has recovered from a” muscle strain”
        and is able return to her occupation.

        • Emil Archambault says:

          Well, if you have an issue with the Beethoven, then don’t take your anger out on Hilary Hahn. Blame Ludwig for that…and acknowledge that it might be a matter of personal taste, not of musicological fact.

          Besides, what in all the world does the quality of Beethoven’s concerto have to do with the Encores CD???

          • sdReader says:

            Don’t waste your breath, Emil. This “Milka” is not a normal commenter. The goal is just to incite.

        • norman lebrecht says:

          Cool it, both of you.

  • Emil Archambault says:

    Given that it thematically continues her recordings of concertos by Arnold Schönberg, Leonard Bernstein, Samuel Barber, as well as new commissions of Jennifer Higdon and Edgar Meyer, a CD of sonatas by Charles Ives, an improvisation CD with Hauschka; given the fact that she integrated the encores into her recital programmes for two years; given that she personally took the time to ask composers and commissioned their pieces, I fail to see what the publicity stunt is.

    Of course she still plays mainstream concertos; she would be foolish not to do so. Beethoven, after all, is one of the greatest composers to ever have lived, and an artist who ignores the greatest pieces of classical music because they are ‘old’ would not be very smart. That being said, look at what she plays in a season, and you’ll see she is far from being a mainstream violinist. For instance, here is the programme of her last recital in Montreal, last spring:
    SCHOENBERG, Fantaisie pour violon et piano, opus 47
    SCHUBERT, Fantaisie pour violon et piano en do majeur, D. 934
    TELEMANN, Fantaisie pour violon seul no 6 en mi mineur, TWV 40:19
    BARRETT, Shade
    GARCĺA ABRIL, Three Sighs
    MOZART, œuvre annoncée ultérieurement

    Publicity stunt? I don’t think so…

  • Sixtus says:

    “Ease herself back” with the Beethoven concerto? LOL. Even the Schoenberg concerto would be easier. At least few in the audience would be able to tell if she played a wrong note.

  • Milka says:

    The Encore competition if one reads carefully all the ifs and buts was a real
    waste of time but it pretended to serve
    the needs of the violin world .I am positive Ms.Hahn as a celebrated violinist is deluged with pleas
    from countless composers to play or at
    least look their works for violin, so a
    competition would be a waste of time,
    but it does make for good PR work .
    Being away from the stage one had hoped her return would have been more imaginative and cause for celebration other than another dutiful
    rendition of the Beethoven .Hearing
    the Higdon work , one wonders why ?

  • M2N2K says:

    Even though HH is not my favorite violinist performing these days, the quality of her playing is usually very high and i am reasonably confident that her Beethoven tonight was considerably better than merely “another dutiful rendition”.

  • Lauren says:

    I am so glad she is back. She has a lovely style and blends her repertoire very well with regard to old masters and worthy new composers. In this troubled world, anyone who adds beauty and grace to the mix gets my vote as a great person and artist. As for people who are always looking to drag others through the proverbial muck, it says more about them than the object of their ire. Ignoring them is the best way to get them to slink off and spread their misery elsewhere. If someone in the public eye is abusing people or animals or befriending dictators who are responsible for mass suffering and murder, then it is right to complain publicly and vigorously. If the person plays a tune or stars in a film one doesn’t like why trash them? Just don’t buy a ticket!

  • muslit says:

    It’s good that she’s back. But I find other violinists more interesting.

  • David says:

    Her recording of the Schoenberg concerto is sublime and, I would say, indispensable. She is a great artist. I wish her well.

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