American violinist Hilary Hahn is the Natalie Portman of classical music. At the age of 20, the Baltimore-born prodigy has already three recordings under her belt. What makes these recordings stand out from recordings of other young musicians is that Miss Hahn does not shy away from the treacherous mainstream repetoire. Most young musicians start out by recording technically flashy (but emotionally shallow) showpieces until they have made a name for themselves. Hahn, on the other hand, dismisses all the rubbish and bravely tackles deeper, more meaningful works from the very beginning. Most of the music that she has recorded and performed so far are warhorses which have already been recorded numerous times. To stand out, Hahn must equal, if not best, recordings of the past, some of which have achieved a "lengendary" status over the years.
Despite the fact that she goes up against some of the greatest violinists of the past, Hilary Hahn is more than able to hold her own. Her debut CD features a selection of works from Bach's Violin Partitas and Sonatas, while her second CD includes the Beethoven Violin Concerto and a work by Bernstein. Both of these recordings are well performed, yet one cannot but feel that she still suffers from shadows of the past greats. Her latest recording, however, shows that she is in fact a highly talented and independent musician who lives under nobody's shadow. This new CD features the Barber Violin Concerto and the new Meyer Violin Concerto, which was written for Hilary Hahn (man, I wish something is dedicated to me). Since the Meyer Concerto is new, we can't really compare it with anything in the past. If anything, Hahn is setting the standards for future performances! The Barber, on the other hand, is another one of those warhorses that have been played and recorded many times. Here Hahn goes up against, among others, the classic 1965 Stern/Bernstein/NYPO recording and the more recent Shaham/Previn/LSO performance. Does Hahn disappoint? No, far from it. Rather than adhering to the emotionally intense interpretations from the two older renditions, Hahn offers a cooler new look at the piece. Hahn's Barber Concerto exudes an elegant, aristocratic grace that differs greatly from the voluptuous, plebeian passion found in Shaham's version. Shaham's reading is equally valid, of course, but I find Hahn's version to be more convincing.
Aside from recording CDs (which she doesn't do often enough!!), Hilary Hahn also performs concerts around the world. She will appear later this year in The Last Night of the Proms (each year, the British Broadcasting Corporation hosts a 2-month classical music festival called the Proms, the last night of which usually being the climax of the entire event). Hilary Hahn has performed with big-name ensembles such as the Berlin Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, and the New York Philharmonic, but, unlike so many money-hungry musicians, she has also graced lesser known groups like the Bay Atlantic Orchestra (where? huh?).
Hilary Hahn is no longer a mere child prodigy; she
is now a mature musician who is capable of successfully performing the
most serious works. Like Natalie Portman, Hilary Hahn also has yet
to reach her full potentials despite all her accomplishments. If
she continues her amazing rate of developement, she will no doubt become
one of the greatest musicians of the 21st century.
8.19.00
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Bernstein: Serenade |
Meyer: Violin Concerto |
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