Listening to this disc, The Essential Hilary Hahn, one can easily understand what everybody hears in the young American's playing, to wit, the ebullience of her Preludio from
Bach's Third Partita, the passion of her Andante from
Barber's Violin Concerto, the intensity of her Chaconne from
Bach's Second D minor Partita, the expressivity of her Allegro non troppo from
Brahms' Violin Concerto, the ferocity of her Scherzo from
Shostakovich's First Violin Concerto, the poetry of her Allegro ma non troppo from
Beethoven's Violin Concerto, the charm of her "Movement II" from
Meyer's Violin Concerto, the exuberance of her Allegro molto appassionato from
Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto, the wit of her "Agathon" from
Bernstein's Serenade, and the sprightly charm of her Capriccio from
Stravinsky's Violin Concerto. Accompanied by the ardent
Hugh Wolff and the
Oslo Philharmonic in the
Mendelssohn and the
Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra in the
Barber and
Meyer, by the elegant
Neville Marriner and the
Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields in the
Brahms and
Stravinsky, by the masterful
David Zinman and the
Baltimore Symphony in the
Beethoven and
Bernstein, and by the powerful
Marek Janowski and the
Oslo in the
Shostakovich,
Hahn's performances are the current cutting-edge of charismatic virtuosity. Fans of
Grumiaux may not approve, but fans of
Heifetz will understand. Released between 1997 and 2002, these performances should be heard by anyone with an interest in contemporary violinists.