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Paganini: Violin Concerto No. 1; Spohr: Violin Concerto No. 8
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Large Photo
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Media Type: Audio CD
Release Date: October 10. 2006
Label: Deutsche Grammophon
Amazon.com Sales Rank: 41409
Average Customer Rating: 
UPC: 028947762324
List price: $16.98
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Showing page 1 of 5
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Reviews
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 Not The Paganini I Know , July 5, 2008
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A thoroughly adequate workman-like performance. No doubt probably technically correct in every detail, this rendition of the Paganini concerto lacked the fire and passion I associate with this great Italian violinist and composer's virtuosity. Likewise, this version of the Spohr work lacked the heart and good humour one should expect from a world class performance. Let us hope that eventually Ms. Hahn will mature.
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 The best Paganini concerto no. 1 that I have listen to so far., December 15, 2007
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This is by far the best Paganini Concerto #1 that I have listened to. I did not write the review before I could listen to quite a few performances of the same, including the excessively praised Accardo. I must indicate that Hilary Hahn is truly the best. Her virtuoso is combined perfectly with a sense of emotion that comes out delicately giving Paganini's concerto no. 1 the meaning and interpretation it deserves. The latter is especially reflected in the third movement. Not just only a collection of technically challenging combination of notes but a whole composition that is a pleasure to the ear, revealing perfection. So, although I am not a "pro" I give this performance 5 stars without reservation.
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Hilary Hahn - Beautiful CD, August 24, 2007
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This is just a great recording. The performance is alive, sparkling and fast. How great to have such a beautiful and gifted performer and backup.
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I wish I could choose 6 stars, July 4, 2007
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Ms. Hahn continues to delight and amaze. This is, of course, a virtuosic piece, and H.H. gives it her usual sensitive, brilliant, flawless reading.
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{~~}==# HILARY DIVINED - the POPE OF the VIOLIN "bewitches" and makes an "exorcism" of the "diabolic" parts in the PAGANINI!, June 13, 2007
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HILARY HAHN IS GETTING VOCAL in the SPOHR!
HILARY HAHN's interpretation of these two great concertos is simply MAGNIFICENT, well even "bewitching", she takes away all that is "diabolic" in this wonderful violin concerto composed by NICOL̉ PAGANINI! So, I give FIVE stars - and even MORE STARS - for her SUPERB and BEAUTIFUL VIOLIN PLAY - as well as for the again extraordinary CD collection! HILARY's violin play makes you feel so much for this music, it is HEAVENLY, EMPATHETIC and it "hides" all those immensely difficult passages which are included in this concerto by Nicoḷ Paganini. HILARY has so much deep control of and masters even the most difficult passages of this technically inspiring and challenging piece, and she performs it with so MUCH FEELING, SOUL and PRECISION that makes you think these passages are actually not of such complexity, which makes this violin concerto by NICOL̉ PAGANINI so extremely difficult to play. The same is for the SPOHR concerto - which is, sadly to say (!), criticised by a reviewer as "forgetable" and the reviewer also 'predicts' that one "won't listen to very often" (how is it possible that one/a reviewer can/may 'predict' this?!!). No matter! Whatever, HILARY HAHN's INTERPRETATION is completely CLEAN and PERFECT and CRISTALLY CLEAR in the PAGANINI as well as in the SPOHR! As always in her music, HILARY's VIOLIN PLAY is carried with DEEP LYRISM and is really of such "APOLLONIAN" CLARITY which brings so much FRESHNESS into her PERFECTLY INTONATED VIOLIN PLAY which rises from her very HIGH CONCENTRATION and FOCUS on it! So her tone is very clear, but never "thin" and produces many colours in HILARY's always VERY FINE VIBRATO. And, especially on this CD, she shows that she is never a "showy" violinist who only tries to bring out and focus on musical effects rather than on the musical aspects of these two wonderful violin pieces. So her focus is not - as was demanded by some others and mentioned by some other reviewers - on showing preferrably musical virtuosity! HILARY, YOU are SO LOVELY FOR THIS! So, in conclusion: HER VIOLIN PLAY will make you ADDICTED. No matter what some of the other reviewers wrote - forget them! The orchestra and the conducter form a very well-tempered musical unity together with HILARY's solist part while the communication of both the solist and orchestra with conductor matches fluently. The orchestra parts in both works are wonderfully interpreted and in perfect harmony with HILARY's solist part. (And who writes about bad orchestra and conductor support?!! Did we listen to the same CD?!) The orchestra-conductor-solist interaction is such a brilliant example of the same high level in both these concertos and HILARY HAHN is completely equally skilled to perform these two wonderful concertos of the violin literature in her usually high perfection, and once again she KNOWS TO ASTONISH HER AUDIENCES WITH another "EXCEPTIONAL", well let me say EXTRAORDINARY, but unusual CD combination! HILARY, you are so LOVABLE for that - THANKS! Saying that, I really do hope much that HILARY will study and LEARN TO PLAY the REMAINING PAGANINI CONCERTOS as soon as possible and will also record these! MY R E C O M M E N D A T I O N !
And then there are always the same who complain: There is (older-generation) interpreter "X" who is the most favourite interpreter of critic/reviewer "Y" and who performs pieces "Z" in the most likable way of critic/reviewer "Y". So a newer, which means a younger, interterpreter "I" never finds a chance that her/his interpretations of whatever musical pieces will be enjoyed by critic/reviewer "Y" in the same way as those of "older" interpreter "X". I think that people, especially reviewers of classical music, should really CONSIDER the GOOD QUALITIES of NOWADAYS' INTERPRETATIONS OF CLASSICAL MUSIC (such as of this wonderful new CD by HILARY HAHN) and seek and find out about and EXPERIENCE what is GOOD IN THESE, rather than preferrably complaining what is "so bad" about these new interpretations made by new and younger interpreters, for example in this new HILARY HAHN recording of the LOUIS SPOHR & NICOL̉ PAGANINI concertos! Today's interpreters cannot, of course, approach, play and interpret pieces in the same way(s) interpreters of those days did - as this would be only copying these! So, they cannot do that! Rather, today's interpreters will always seek new approaches to 'their' classical music - and will, of course, find 'their ways' of making classical music 'their way' which will always be different from the one of those days' interpreters. This is the thing about CREATING SOMETHING NEW! So - as reviewer/critic - please consider this, as otherwise this would mean interpreting newer classical musicians badly! So this recording is anything but a "disappointment", and it is even ANYTHING BUT a "disaster" as was quoted by another reviewer! It's such a LOVELY and WONDERFUL RECORDING! THANK YOU HILARY - especially for the SPOHR who is my "hometown composer"! And, reviews - no matter if they are good ones or bad ones - which consist of only one, two, three or four lines should be removed from any amazon product site! There is absolutely no way for one to communicate, especially complain, his or her opinion only this briefly! So, I think that some reviewers are truly not qualified to write and publish reviews - because some of them write too brief and meaningless reviews, and others write reviews which only compare a CD (this one) to older recordings made by the reviewer's/reviewers' particularly favourite interpreter(s)! And some seem to be by far most unqualified for reviewing any CD or DVD, especially those who write of a "damned thing" when they write down their opinion on the Spohr concerto ("stuff") No. 8, which "sucks" for them, but which is in fact PLAYED so WONDERFULLY on this CD by the MAGNIFCENT HILARY HAHN; so - for this one -, please go to your CD shelf and get yourself your Kogan CD (which I don't mind, because it's wonderful, too!), and please always forget writing more (bad) reviews on HILARY HAHN's CDs and DVDs!!!
Back to the CD again! HILARY HAHN manages the PAGANINI concerto on the same high level as the LOUIS SPOHR (my "hometown composer"'s!) CONCERTO, while her OUTSTANDING VIOLINISTIC SKILLS she has shown in all her recordings so far FROM BACH TO MOZART and now also in the PAGANINI and LOUIS SPOHR as well as in her live concerts simply allow for her to demonstrate her interaction with the orchestra in some passages of the SPOHR concerto more clearly and more brilliantly than in the VIOLIN CONCERTO BY NICOL̉ PAGANINI with regard to the orchestral part of the LOUIS SPOHR CONCERTO which is musically more profoundly composed and of a more complex structure (this is, I think, what some might call the 'more' of a 'substance' compared to the PAGANINI concerto). HILARY HAHN however comprehends to give both these wonderful concertos HER OWN SOUL and GIVES these TWO WORKS some kind of an EFFORTLESSNESS as well as SPARKLING LIVELINESS in her own personal way as well as a FRESHNESS which make this CD an absolute MUST for all of HILARY HAHN's fans (anyway!) and likewise for all of those who are FANs and ADMIRERs OF NICOL̉ PAGANINI and LOUIS SPOHR! So, please - PRESTISSIMO get to CD shelf!
My being so much euphorically excited about these two wonderful new recordings made by MY FAVOURITE VIOLINIST HILARY HAHN I find it almost too much a pity that she releases her next CD - the one with the Sibelius and Schoenberg violin concertos - only in the Spring of 2008 but not in the upcoming September 2007. So I find it more than a good "comfort" that HILARY HAHN's FIRST-EVER DVD "HILARY HAHN - A PORTRAIT" was released in March 2007 (please also see my review of it). On this DVD HILARY HAHN shows us, besides the road-movie-style "Portrait", her wonderfully expressive live performance in her impressively crystally clear, as always brilliant violin tone of the violin concerto by Erich Wolfgang Korngold in D-Dur, op. 35 and the Mozart sonata K. 301 (293a) in G major which she performed in a recital for a live audience together with her equally wonderful and astonishing longtime friend and piano partner Natalie Zhu. So even in 2007, all of HILARY HAHN's fans can be glad to receive such an "almost" new recording by ALWAYS WONDERFUL, MUCH GRACEFUL 1ST CLASS SUPERB VIOLINIST HILARY HAHN!
This new recording of HILARY HAHN is so LOVABLE, you can keep listening to it for hours and hours - equally to the PAGANINI & SPOHR! -, and I would like to mention that it was a great choice to bring out the PAGANINI/SPOHR CD right within the "MOZART YEAR" while at that time audiences were just swamped with new Mozart recordings, more than one could get!
THANK YOU HILARY - this is WONDERFUL, a TRULY BEAUTIFUL RECORDING, MY VERY BEST RECOMMENDATIONS for this VERY GREAT CD!
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Reviews
