Alena Baeva charms Dublin with gorgeous Brahms Violin Concerto

By Michael Roddy, 06 November 2022

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“her technique seemed to polish every note and send it out to the audience like a lustrous gem”

Reviewed at National Concert Hall: Main Stage, Dublin on 4 November 2022

Brahms, Violin Concerto in D major, Op.77

Ysaÿe, Violin Sonata no. 5 in G major Op.27 no.5 I. L'aurore

Strauss R., Sinfonia domestica, Op.53

Alena Baeva, Violin

National Symphony Orchestra Ireland

Mihhail Gerts, Conductor

Chopin and Franck reframed with elegance and insight in Dublin

Andrew Larkin, 20th March

In Dublin, Jean-Luc Tingaud and Louis Lortie bring clarity and purpose to two composers often ill at ease with the orchestra.

****1

Paradise Deferred: Shelley takes on Schumann’s Paradies und die Peri

Andrew Larkin, 13th February

Alexander Shelley tackles Schumann’s sprawling Das Paradies und die Peri with conviction, shaping real momentum and drama, even if balance issues and Thomas Moore’s cloying libretto sometimes distract.

***11

Sułkowska-Migoń’s Dublin programme crowned by a white-hot Scheherazade

Andrew Larkin, 16th January

Works by Boulanger and Shostakovich pay off handsomely before Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, shaped with dynamic control and visceral energy, crowns a vividly played concert.

****1

Michelle Cann brings out the soul in Price’s Piano Concerto in Dublin

Michael Roddy, 12th December

Florence Price’s concerto brings the Dublin audience to its feet at the National Symphony Orchestra Ireland’s latest concert.

****1

Anja Bihlmaier conducts a powerful NSO programme in Dublin

Andrew Larkin, 5th December

Scintillating Mozart meets soul-searching Bruckner as Anja Bihlmaier and the NSOI deliver a programme of vivid contrasts and compelling musical storytelling.

****1

Anna Rakitina’s night with the National Symphony Orchestra

Andrew Larkin, 17th October

From an Anna Clyne Irish premiere to Tchaikovsky’s brilliance and Shostakovich’s grim wit, the NSO balances virtuosity with thoughtful nuance in Dublin.

****1

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Michael Roddy

Michael Roddy is a freelance journalist based in Ireland who formerly covered the arts and entertainment world, as well as general and economic news, for Thomson Reuters. He has interviewed many of the world's leading conductors, singers and composers and has covered and reviewed operas, concerts and festivals throughout Europe.