Barber Violin Concerto

Why buy a cd from a performer you do not know, with an unfamiliar conductor, and with one of the works unknown to you? Well, on a whim, I decided I needed more Barber in my collection, and chose this cd with 19 year old [at the time, in 2000] Hilary Hahn. I tend to be suspicious of very young violin players. Their technique may be flawless, but the performances are missing soul. Not so here. Hahn’s tone is smooth, but not too sweet. While razor precision does not fall in the perview of these two works, there is some great violin playing on this disc. Hahn’s playing has emotion, and she brings the music alive, instead of treating it as a dusty tome that has to be played just right, in order not to offend. I will be expanding my collection of Hahn recordings to be sure, and am interested how her performances of more familiar works will hold up.