Hilary Hahn - Shostakovich Violin Concerto (part 4)

[BlackIsOut]

which hall????

[Personwithface13]

Hilary Hahn, unlike most, has thought out this music incredibly well and has a solid understanding of her intentions with the music. With this understanding she is able to let her technique create so much more expression and emotion than any amount of thoughtless face making could possibly accomplish. Her face is one of complete focus and intention. Believe it or not, playing well requires more than passion. She is not there to dance for you, she is there for you to listen...with your ears.

[nnmrllk]

@Personwithface13 complete coment.thanks

[ichi6417isaberi]

L'interprétatation est vraiment réussie et tès douce.

[debourbon974]

Arrêtons de ne voir que les défauts! Ne voyez-vous pas l'interprétation profonde de cette musicienne? Dès la première note le son a une dimension.J'aime beaucoup

[cli2311]

La composition ainsi que l'interprétation de cette pièce me retournent presque littéralement^^. A voir les commentaires ce n'est pas du goût de tous (et heureusement) mais personnellement cette performance me donne l'envie de travailler une telle pièce, et je crois que ça fait partie de l'essentiel.

C'est du Grand Violon!

[charcharism]

This is sweet and very considerate. Lovely.

[seattlegrrlie]

I'm really confused. This performance is just not right. Check out...

Shostakovich - Violin Concerto No.1 - Sayaka Shoji (4/5)

Sayaka's performance is amazing. This is slow and drab.

[lee4ivy]

i feel that everyone who says that hilary hahn is "dry" are mostly people who only look for the entertainment value, and they just don't know how to appreciate the subtleties of music. hilary hahn's playing is pristine, and her drama is definitely there, simply refined. if you don't watch the performances and only listen to her playing, hilary hahn's playing WILL be a 100x better than other artists overplayed versions.

[outoftunefiddler]

The nineteen (19) "dislikes" were from a cruise ship of travelers from the Planet Klingon. They said, can you believe it, that they thought "Oistrakh had more feeling" and that she (Hahn) was "too unfeeling" in certain melodic sections of the concerto.

[violboy]

please add names of conductor and orchestra and date of performance please.

[violboy]

please add names of conductor and orchestra and date of performance please.

[gnatural]

I gave her a fair chance, I did not look at her and i simply listened to the performance. like many people are saying on this wall, the pain and the anguish of the music are absent in her interpretation IMO. the notes are beautiful but I dont think she penetrated the water and plunged herself into the depths of this movement.

[StLukey7]

over rated

[volk410]

Is this the Concertgebouw?

[pppsssssssss]

@ThaiMike2010 And trust me, ThaiMike2010, I've intensely studied studied this concerto, Shostakovich's life during the time he composed it as well as the historical context behind most of Shostakovich's work. Furthermore, the parallels between some of his symphonic and chamber works (especially the use of his DSCH motif) and this concerto are splattered across the musical lines, thus, listening to his other works (string quartet 8 as well) would help in formulating a more understanding interpret

[pppsssssssss]

@ThaiMike2010 I think it's funny how you need to resort to name calling. Am I not entitled to my own opinions? If you listen to her movement 3 of this piece and compare that to Kogan, Oistrakh, or even modern players such as Vengerov or Chang, there's a huge emotional void. I'm not the only one who thinks this. And, as we have seen, Hilary has a very subtle and sublime approach to many of the standard concerti which for this piece, is not to my liking.

[davidleemente]

I enjoyed this interpretation very much. The conductor gives her great support. Remember that Jansons knew Shostakovich when he was yound and Dmitri was an old man. I'm not sure why we cannot enjoy the many possibilities present in a great piece of music. I am so glad that this concerto is now played quite often and by such great young violinists. I saw this played by Leila josefowicz last fall and thoroughly enjoyed it. I would love to hear miss Hahn play it as well.

[MultiGargiulo]

This passacaglia is so dramatically high-charged in the interpretation of Oistrakh, who worked on the score with the composer. Hahn's version is too elegiac or even detached for my tastes.

[eleninamyers]

I always try to remain objective when "listening" to performances on Youtube. For example, try hearing the piece with the window minimized so you don't see the video.

I happen to think this is an excellent performance, as are most of her recordings. However, her interpretation of Sibelius v. conc. for example doesn't top this performance imho which is better than most I've heard: watch?v=XCOZPFIx7AU

[stanstanner]

This is intended to be listened, not watched. Do you feel the emotion when you don't see how the piece is played?

[poildours]

Très difficile à jouer et pourtant Hilary réussi à rendre cette pièce vivante BRAVO

[Friendulum]

This is my favorite movement of my favorite work of Shostakovich's. Hilary plays it absolutely beautifully. As she does the entire concerto. Period.

She's a fucking Goddess of the violin.

What IS true is that you can BARELY HEAR the music in this clip: WHY is the goddamned volume so LOW?!? If this clip had ANY decent resolution one might actually be able to discern what the hell is happening in this performance.

[principalbass]

@Friendulum MAYBE you should try TURNING your speakers UP. I haven't had a problem HEARING it after I adjusted the volume settings on MY computer.

[Friendulum]

principalbass TURNING the volume UP is the First Thing that Anyone does, Einstein. MAYBE YOU should forbear your feckless sarcasm, friend.

[flarbton]

too many opinions, means nothing... if Shostakovich were here to give us his opinions, even he might change from day to day. SO, it's vanity to think one's opinion is more meaningful somehow.

[guarneri20]

No passion....... At least for my taste. Listen to min 4.00-6.30..... ??????? and compare it to the old masters

[pppsssssssss]

@guarneri20 i completely agree...HIlary is one of the greatest violinists of our generation, no doubts about it. But for a piece as the Shostakovich, her usual way of playing, which is my opinion only, in a sublime way doesn't do it for me. Give me Oistrakh, Kogan, Perlman, or even Vengerov, Repin, Chang for these types of concertos.

But i really do admired her technique...those fingered octaves are superb!

[hbomb2579]

@pppsssssssss damn straight! this is man's concerto, I'm just sayin'..........

[voxhunden]

Thanks for posting this concert, it's great. Definitely worth it!

[FA8T]

I love Hahn's tough but beautiful style of play. A lot of Violinists are excessively sweet.

[jamesjddong]

who cares whether vengerov puts on faces or not, just listen.

[milstein91]

@jamesjddong well in that case buy a cd and listen at home. you pay a ticket also to SEE it,it's a live show after all...but i m not talking about vengerov or hahn they are both fantastic,i m talking about violinists who make this stupid faces to compensate their lack of musicality/technique it s a matter of distracting the public...

[calloffthedogs]

I would be careful mentioning her name in the same sentence as Oistrakh and Kogan. She is a great young player, but not on that level - yet.

[bluemonk82]

Hilary Hahn is an overrated violinist I think. Listen to the way she plays the slower passages. There's no feeling there whatsoever. Technically she's great, but she doesn't have much feeling in her playing and it's evident in every performance she's done.

It's a shame violinists like Viktoria Mullova, Maxim Vengerov, Gidon Kremer, Vadim Repin, Gil Shaham, etc. get overshadowed by Hahn. They have more natural ability and much more insight into the music than Hahn ever will have.

[cyphicle]

Unfortunately, I join your opinion concerning the slower passages of this formidable passacaglia.

H. Hahn plays notes, as a good pupil. Does she know that this conct is dedicated to shosty's best friend dead in 1943 of alcoholism after a scene Shosty has been the witness of ? This is 1 In Memoriam. did you hear the soul elevating through the cagey motion of this movt.

I'm not talking for any of her other performances that I do not know but concerning this one, really I am not convinced at all.

[Manli1208]

I see that Mariss Jansons is conducting, but which orchestra is it? And when was this recorded?

[gittimano]

Berlin philharmonic Orchestra

[Manli1208]

Thanks, Gittimano.

[mr00aznkid]

I really think it would be fine if the screen were black. Maybe it would change our perspective since Hilary Hahn doesn't squint or make funny face(not that that is bad).

:)

[erobinsonii]

I love the part, at about 5:30, where the violin takes over the passacaglia and the cellos and basses play the impromptu. It's kind of like letting the bass player "take one" after he's been laying it down for the soloist in jazz.

[primemusician]

I love this movement, and the intro is my favorite! It kinda reminds me of John William's Emperial March :)

[almendroarb]

i love this piece...I'm a violinist and I've written my master thesis about Shostakovich's violin concertos...this girl really knows how to play it...David Oistrakh's performance is one of a kind but I don't see anything lacking in the performance of Hilary Hahn:)

[hbomb2579]

uhhh... how about balls? I've played with and taken lessons from one of Oistakh's former students. This music has a deeper meaning that she doesn't/cannot convey.

[mlckfip]

Thank you very much for sharing this. It is hauntingly beautiful. A quietly heartbreaking perspective not captured by Oistrakh and Kaler - two of my favorite performances. I am glad that I get to relive my experience of Hahn's performance of DSCH #1, which I was very fortunate to hear in Chicago several years ago. Thank you.

[ghostofdayinperson]

YESS! I was looking all over for the slow movement! GORGEOUS!!!!!!!

[twistedboomer]

I'm not a fiddle-player but....

I have heard the Oistrakh recording and it is a brilliant, singular effort (IMHO), but different from that of Ms. Hahn. Not better, not worse, just different.

Wow! What violin playing we have to choose from.

[Noxianfiend]

Okay, I'm sorry, but to all the people who think that Hilary Hahn doesn't feel the music she plays, I just want to say that you're not a very mature listener. I hear feeling, and it's beautiful. I've listened to Oistrakh, and I prefer Hilary. It's fine if you like one musician over the other, but I don't think it's fair to say that she has no feeling.

Much love, and thanks for posting.

[3lnath]

Honestly lol. I'm sick of idiots posting on music videos that artists don't have feeling in their music simply because they aren't flailing around like an idiot and looking crazy. There is much much more to putting emotion into music than acting intense, and I feel sorry for those who can't recognize the emotion in Hilary Hahn's playing -- it's amazing.

[semperwifi1]

@3lnath For those who don't understand or want subtle nuanced playing, I found this Bruch performance entertaining in an over-the-top way: watch?v=e6S-XWlGmjw

I prefer Hahn's style but watching the above video is always entertaining now and then, I literally lol'ed. Great showmanship, so-so musicality.

[84serjiolin]

@3lnath IF she has emotion, is the wrong one...

[junoelbereth]

@3lnath You're right!!!

[iwo71]

@3lnath I absolutely agree. Emotion, when flowing freely into the instrument - as in Hilary Hahn's case, doesn't need any physical display. This is music playing in its purest.

[distortingjack]

She's gorgeous. She's in tune. But the feel? No.

Kogan, Oistrakh. Really.

[Violinfanatic]

Sayaka Shoji is a good, young performer worth noting as well. Of course, the giants of the past seem to be impossible to top, but there are greats today worth noting.

[kathleenanna]

I have to say, I partially agree with you.  For my own personal taste, Kogan owns this piece. Especially this movement. Not that it takes away from this gorgeous performance by Hilary Hahn. She is great. I just personally prefer Kogan.

Check out her Sibelius, though. STUNNING. She is amazing.

[sweatinggrundle]

in my opinion, this is one of the most intense movements ever written.

[AbsoluteZ3R0]

No way, she plays the 2nd movement well, but this is not the depressing, terrifying, and disturbing 3rd movement that Shostakovich wrote. It's too romantic, and not serious enough (although she sounds great). Watch the video of Oistrakh playing the cadenza here on youtube, it is deeply moving and terrifying.

[kellbellwon]

i havent heard kogan's performance. i guess its on youtube somewhere. ill go check it out. but HH's performance makes me feel. idk what it makes me feel, but i feel something...and its simply indescribable. im moved, you could say. let me tell u, im a difficult person to move in such a way. but i have been.

[lolmanerik]

Oistrakh.

[AlannTH]

I have heard Oistrakh's version, although superb as all Oistrakh work is I prefere Kogan's interpretation.

[AlannTH]

The Finest performance of this work in my opinion is performed by the legendary Leonid Kogan. I cannot get any feelings from this performance. Hilary is indeed a fine violinist, but this work belongs to Kogan.

[durand50]

Ever heard the king Oistrakh in this movement? I wish you my tears of joy

[erikkournikov]

heyyyyy this is amazin hahahahha i was feelin the same way about this interpretation before readin your post, and as a sovietic school student -im argentinian though- of course oistrakh s is my favorite, but havent heard kogan s interpretation i hope so soon.... bbut please listen to oistrakh playin prokofiev, you just cannot believe it... !!!!!! hey reply r u also into sovietic violin playin or just a fan?

[pppsssssssss]

her shostakovich interpretation seems to be dry...I don't hear the anguish and pain this concerto requires.

I never seem to connect with Hahn on a musical/spiritual level. Although I do love her technique and tone, I think her musicality is one-dimensional...it's great for Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky, but not for these types of concertos...

[oatboy]

i agree with you so much. Tremendous violin player, but i've never once been moved by anything she plays. It's like she understands the art of phrasing but not the purpose of the music. That might sound harsh but really that's the way it sounds to me. WHere is the pain? this concerto is the ultimate embodiment of deep pain and sadness, through the eyes of an incredible man. To me it sounds like a nice pretty piece with an interesting cantus in the bass when she plays it.

[emusician21]

She's still young. She'll only develop as the years go by.

[violinista53]

@pppsssssssss It's easy to fall into one way of playing Shostakovich, when the psychology of this music is complicated and multifaceted. There's something about the icy nostalgia of this particular movement that gets me, more than any amount of Romantic emoting.

[pppsssssssss]

@violinista53 the third movement, in the context of the whole concerto, is where we see the "aftermath" of the 2 movement and all of its chaos. It is where the soul is in such despair and pain...like when someone is reaching out to God/a higher spiritual power, because they are so lost. This sorrow leads to the absolute manic and madness of the fourth movement. When I listen to Kogan or Oistrakh (even Vengerov and Repin), I feel this...with Hahn, it is much more stable emotion..not as turbulent

[pppsssssssss]

@violinista53 And I'm not diminishing her interpretation of it. It is her artistic freedom...I just don't feel the full range of emotions that the Shostakovich Violin Concerto can produce when the violinist wants in Hahn's performance. And more generally, this is her natural playing style. It's not a bad thing...for Mendelssohn and Stravinsky, I absolutely adore it, but imo, she produces the same kinds of sounds/musical ideas with the Paganini, Shostakovich, and Mendelssohn concertos.

[angoranimi07]

@pppsssssssss oh yeah right... not; the conductor doesn't lie on the floor either; it's that kind of stupid superficial opinions that drives me insane: it's not a show nor a clip. It's clean and balanced one into each other: whatever you want to hear; it's not there: write and you'll know it can't be there anyway.

[pppsssssssss]

@angoranimi07 I believe that Jansons and the orchestra gives great support to Hahn...but he gives her so many openings to do more with certain phrases and lines, but to me, she refrains herself. Just listen to Kogan or OIstrakh and you'll hear the difference. I love her Mendelssohn and her Bach interpretations where I like this subtle approach, however for something as the shostakovich, I feel as though you need to "let go" emotionally.

[angoranimi07]

@pppsssssssss Right. I was just playing "l'avocat du diable". I Understand what you say; thanks for indicating other interpretation. It's all about music in the end.

[pppsssssssss]

@angoranimi07 Agreed. I think Hahn is a wonderful violinist...one of the most influential of our generation. And for her to perform/record Shostakovich is a great blessing for us! She has her own interpretation of the piece, and, as individuals, we all have the right to our own interpretations. In the end, that's what makes music so wonderful...the ability for a bunch of mere pages full of black ink to harness unique and individual responses from our soul, is just beautiful.

[angoranimi07]

@pppsssssssss I think you're right. Over all, character is the most important think; sometimes there is wonderful things and potential in beings, but the character is not just strong enough: it's what differentiates an mild author from a genius. And i think these questions about style, and details are where there is such a thing as "culture" is possible, considering they are true and significant, opened to a human and codified outside any pastiche.

[Neongrapes]

@pppsssssssss That's because she's too young and too pretty to even understand what this music is about. Not that I don't wish her well, but perhaps when she's experiences a tragedy in her own life she will understand what Shostakovich was channelling

[gregjm]

If she is this good in her mid-20s imagine how good she will be when she is 50!

[melomansarasatiste]

I love how she cares about her violin while she's playing she always look at her violin like saying please sing well

[0zerox0]

This is amaizing like the cello concerto of Shostakovith

[ijustretired]

i think this Movement is the most difficult to play and even when a violinist does it with ease, its the sheer difficulty that must be shown to bring out the true essence of the music, I think Shostakovich never intended this movement to display ease but a certain sense of difficult and torment

[Keette]

This is my favourite movement, so much emotion in that melody and the soloist floats on a wave created just for her by the orchestra. It's as if Shostakovitch caught a weird dream and put it to music.

[emergingvirtuoso]

this is great. except, i kept feeling like she was on the verge of really capturing the emotion: really captivating me, like i almost could have felt like crying, and then it would dissipate. maybe a little bit more on that quickly fading in and out on the focal points.

[nobodiesunmighty]

I agree partly with flimi, I don't hear the emotions of pain and sorrow in the first part of this passacaglia, written for his friend Oistrakh, played somehow 'too flat'. But o.k. that's a personal taste of course...

[shavkatikk]

Kogan and Oistrakh play this concerto a whole lot better!

[flimi]

her bowing is too weak. this music needs power!

[cellodude1]

Wonderful, very heartfelt. Hillary Hahn I would dare to say to be the greatest living female violinist....

[nicolasbitran]

I felt in love with Hilary's sound. Its the most wonderful and beautiful sound I've ever heard, after Heifetz's.

[twistedboomer]

Beautiful! A truly wonderful display of musical depth and (I think) a rare gift for sustaining and building the long phrase. Very nice legato to boot.

Compared to 95% of what I hear today, which makes me want to quit playing altogether, this performance reminds me of why I wanted to play music in the first place.

[CoolJay77]

Very well put. IMHO she is a true musical

artist unlike many living violinists who

may handle the violin very well but may also lack in musicianship.

[kellbellwon]

well said. this is y we put forth the effort. bc of how it makes us feel.

[nicolasbitran]

Wonderful performance. I think she gets the idea of the work.

[ertugrul122]

wonderful vibration

[basecliff]

We're all bass players on this thread, I guess. Watch what a moving sound she gets RIGHT AT THE BRIDGE!

[kaliyarivet]

na'ah not me I play a magical harp hybrid string phantabulaphone that covers the range of the bass to the violin and higher. I'm principal-everything in an orchestra that is considerably cooler than this one.

[hentaiwarrior16]

as a bass player she is my fav violinist