Infinite Hues
Zina Schiff plays Sibelius,
Barber and Ben-Haim -
heard by
ANDREW SCHARTMANN'... Barber's Violin Concerto ... is easily the highlight of the disc.'
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When evaluating a new recording of Sibelius' Violin Concerto, it is impossible not to invoke Dylana Jenson's brilliant performance with Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra as the standard of excellence. In most respects, it would be counterproductive to compare MSR Classics' new disc with this 1981 classic: Jenson's playing and Ormandy's conducting are simply out of reach, and the combination of the two into a perfect marriage of sound is unlikely to be reproduced. This latter point, however, does serve to highlight the main issue with the Avlana Eisenberg / Zina Schiff pairing. Whereas Jenson and Ormandy display comparable skills in their respective areas of expertise, Eisenberg and Schiff seem awkwardly mismatched...
Copyright © 2 December 2013
Andrew Schartmann,
Connecticut USA
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