Hilary Hahn - Paganini: Violin Concerto No. 1 / Spohr: Violin Concerto No. 8
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Free Music Notes for Paganini: Violin Concerto No. 1 / Spohr: Violin Concerto No. 8
Free Music Review: NOTHING SPECIAL!
Hit: 3 Stars
I like Hilary Hahn, she is a terrific violinist. Maybe it's the way they record her, but all her recordings sound kinda wan, if not actually dull.Free Music Review: Well, it depends on what you're looking for
Hit: 2 Stars
I happened to listen to both concertos on the radio. Here is my opinion: technically, it's really, really good. Maybe too good sometimes. Musically, I have absolutely NO intention to listen to it again any time soon.
However, just for the record, I do admire Miss Hahn as a violinist. Playing the fiddle is not an easy thing to do, folks.
Free Music Review: Oue, go away!
Hit: 2 Stars
The orchestral "support" provided by Oue is downright wretched. Hahn is simply obscured by the constant boomy bass. This CD should be entitled the Paganini Drum Concerto.Free Music Review: A disaster
Hit: 1 Stars
No offense folks...but what is WRONG with you guys??? Can't you hear how plain, flat-out BAD this is? Has anyone here heard the Paganini done by ANYONE else? If you haven't, you're just not qualified to review this CD.
And the Spohr--as music--is so intensely boring I had to turn it off. It took all my willpower to get to the end of the damned thing. And I like a lot of Spohr's stuff. For instance, his Quintet for piano and winds is an out-and-out masterpiece. But this thing? It sucks. Plain and simple. Cliched, dull, boring. And Hahn's performance just accentuates everything that's wrong with it.
But, to return to the Paganini. This performance is an utter disgrace. Larry Vandesant's review was right on the money, as far as it went. I think he was being generous, myself. This is NOT the sort of thing Hahn should be playing.
Truth is, Hahn has been overhyped from the start. She is a decent violinist, with a clean technique, and almost nothing to say of any interest in ANY of the repertoire she plays. This Paganini is a perfect case in point. She clearly hasn't the faintest idea of what to do with this piece, except play all the notes as cleanly and flawlessly as possible. And I know she is intelligent enough to know that that is simply NOT enough. That gets you in the door, in Paganini. Then you have to DO something with it. Anything. And that's the problem here.
Paganini's music is short on substance to start with. You have to make something out of it. If you don't, it's nearly as dull as the Spohr, even with all those gymnastics. Hahn plays this thing as if she's a wind-up robot. It's terrible. Listen to Kogan, or Ricci, or, Heaven help me, even Itzak Perlman--who I can't stand, usually--at least those guys put some BLOOD into it, for chrissakes!
You guys who are lauding this thing just don't have a clue. Not a clue. It's sad. Because this is a case of the empress having no clothes...
True, I'm no fan of Hahn. Ok. But, regardless, this performance of Paganini is an embarrassment all around, by any standard (I second Larry's castigation of Oue's work. It's so bad I don't even know where to start).
Both Oue and Hahn should be forced to listen to Harnoncourt conducting anything for a few hours. Then maybe they'd get a clue that you have TO DO SOMETHING WITH THIS STUFF! You can't just "play it." Brahms? You can just play it. It won't be great, but it won't suck. Music like the Paganini? Whole different deal. Too bad Reinhard Goebel never recorded this..not that he would have. But if he ever had, it would have been a hoot. And a hoot is WHAT THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE! Or a jaunt, or a trip...or something. This performance is nothing. Blah.
Yeeeesh... Where's my Kogan..I need an antidote to this sleepwalk. Phooey.
Free Music Review: Not very good...
Hit: 1 Stars
...a real step down for Hilary after parting company with Sony...DG decides to pair her with the "Swedish Radio Sympnony"?...to record Spohr??...the performances are okay but uninspired and the recorded sound is quite thin...a vastly superior Paganini can be heard on Michael Rabin's recording of it...and Spohr?...well, does anyone really care?...and at some point Hillary needs to realize that although her Vuillaume violin sounds nice it lacks depth and doesn't carry very well.