Hilary Hahn - Schoenberg, Sibelius: Violin Concertos (2008)

Hilary Hahn is always ready to take on new challenges as she has demonstrated in nearly every album of violin concertos in her recording career, from her precocious 1999 recording of Beethoven's masterpiece to her 2006 pairing of showpieces by Paganini and Spohr. On this 2008 Deutsche Grammophon release, she grapples with Arnold Schoenberg's knotty Violin Concerto, Op. 36, and Jean Sibelius' demanding Violin Concerto, Op. 47, two works that are among the most difficult of modern concertos and notable for their brooding moods and darkly dramatic music. Hahn deserves great credit for giving the Schoenberg concerto a much needed airing, and listeners new to the piece will find that its dense but expressive music is not as daunting as its reputation. Yet for all its penetrating intensity and compelling complexity, and in spite of Hahn's dedicated playing, this twelve-tone tour de force will never be as popular as Sibelius' tonal concerto, which has fared much better with audiences over the years. While Hahn makes a valiant intellectual effort with Schoenberg and patiently works her way through his dissonant counterpoint, it seems her heart is really with Sibelius, and the passionate way she embraces his melodies reveals an essentially Romantic and emotional approach to the music. While Hahn's playing seems quite vigorous and at times rough edged in the first work, her bowing here is much smoother and sweetly lyrical, so fans who admire her for her polish will find more to like in this performance. The accompaniment of Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra is sympathetic and robust throughout, and the recordings of both concertos position Hahn centrally, so the sound of the violin is carefully balanced with the orchestra and fully present.