After her last two albums of completely new compositions, Silfra and In 27 Pieces The Hilary Hahn Encores, Ms. Hahn returns with classic-romantic repertoire.
Three-time Grammy Award-winning violinist Hilary Hahn now combines Mozart's beloved Concerto in A, K 219 with its fiery Turkish episode with the rich, virtuosic romanticism of Vieuxtemps' Violin Concerto No. 4, recorded with Paavo J¤rvi and The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen.
The grandest, simplest, and longest-lasting adventure I've embarked on as a musician has been my quest to expand my repertoire. Ever since early childhood, opening the sheet music to a piece I love but haven't yet played has felt like a magical combination of winning the lottery and setting out on an epic trip. The clean, unused score is a freshly printed map. The texture of the page reminds my hands that I'm holding a small, three-dimensional part of the composer's legacy. I'm excited to think that each new work brings infinite expressive possibilities, and that it could stay in my repertoire for decades. Those hopes don't always pan out, but in the course of one significant early year in my life, they did twice. At the age of 10, I was given the violin parts to both Vieuxtemps' Concerto No. 4 and Mozart's Concerto No. 5. Mozart 5 and Vieuxtemps 4 are part of me. They remind me of the rich legacy of classical music and of the wonderful continuity of tradition, yet they are also timeless. When I play these notes onstage with my colleagues, I don't reflect on the past; I'm caught up in the dialogue, looking forward to whatever the next phrase will bring. - Hilary Hahn