Nikolaj Znaider dazzles in Elgar’s Violin Concerto
Just one month into the New Year and Nikolaj Znaider – “one of the greatest artists of his generation” (Gramophone) – has already had a highly successful year. In January, the Danish violinist gave a critically acclaimed tour of the United States to celebrate the centennial of Edward Elgar’s Violin Concerto. This same work is also the focus of Znaider’s latest recording, which was released by Sony Masterworks on January 5. The CD has already been hailed by David Patrick Stearns of the Philadelphia Inquirer as “a candidate for any best-of-2010 list.” On both the tour and the recording, Znaider plays the same Del Gesù violin that Fritz Kreisler used for the world premiere of the concerto, with the composer conducting, on November 10, 1910.
In January, Nikolaj Znaider gave four performances of the Elgar concerto with the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Sir Colin Davis. Jeremy Eichler of the Boston Globe was on hand to give this account:
“Znaider gave a technically commanding, beautifully integrated performance, full of generous quantities of sweet singing tone… In last night’s deeply committed, rhapsodic account, Znaider seemed intent on conveying those distinctly personal qualities of the work while eschewing an easy sentimentality. … With his striking fluidity and his unerring sense of line – his subtle feel for the way this music breathes, sighs, and at times hurtles virtuosically through space – Znaider was never short of completely absorbing.”
Beyond the concert hall, Nikolaj Znaider impressed critics with both his violin virtuosity and his interpretation of the Elgar work on his recently released Sony Masterworks recording with the Dresden Staatskapelle and Sir Colin Davis. Julie Amacher of Minnesota Public Radio responded:
“Nikolaj Znaider soars through the melodic line as it rises and falls, enhancing the spirit of Johannes Brahms’s writing which had such an influence on Elgar and which he captures so beautifully… After hearing how Znaider brings this intimate work to life, you’ll be inspired to applaud with abandon, too!”
This month Znaider turns to another cornerstone of the Romantic violin repertory: the seminal Mendelssohn Concerto. This he plays with Leipzig’s legendary Gewandhaus Orchestra on its U.S. tour in February, with performances in Palm Desert (Feb 18), Costa Mesa (Feb 19), and Carnegie Hall (Feb 27). When he played the concerto several seasons ago with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Sun-Times wrote, “Znaider’s violin melodies had the seamless, lyrical eloquence of an operatic soprano. Simple but profoundly introspective, his song combined youthful yearning with confident determination.”
Nikolaj Znaider’s U.S. engagements, February 2010:
Feb 18
Palm Desert, CA
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig
Riccardo Chailly, conductor
Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto
Feb 19
Costa Mesa, CA
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig
Riccardo Chailly, conductor
Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto
Feb 27
New York, NY
Carnegie Hall
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig
Riccardo Chailly, conductor
Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto
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