Passionately committed Brahms from Janine Jansen and friends

Janine Jansen and Denis Kozhukhin

Timothy Ridout

Janine Jansen, Denis Kozhukhin, Timothy Ridout and Daniel Blendulf

By Nick Boston, 22 December 2023

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“the blend of their instruments in their duetting passages was sublime”

Reviewed at Wigmore Hall, London on 21 December 2023

Brahms, Violin Sonata no. 2 in A major, Op.100

Brahms, Viola Sonata in E flat major, Op.120 no.2

Brahms, Piano Quartet no. 3 in C minor, Op.60

Janine Jansen, Violin

Timothy Ridout, Viola

Daniel Blendulf, Cello

Denis Kozhukhin, Piano

“Iron Man” Kozhukhin dominates in Prokofiev

Néstor Castiglione, 6th August

Denis Kozhukhin crushes Prokofiev's Third Piano Concerto, but guest conductor Ryan Bancroft is overwhelmed in Shostakovich 10.

***11

A suite of delights: Jörg Widmann and Lisa Batiashvili in Berlin

Elena Luporini, 10th April

A varied programme of chamber music charms the Berlin Phil, featuring works by Widmann and a premiere by young talent Tsotne Zedginidze.

****1

Vasily Petrenko delivers an Elgar 2 of rare distinction with the RPO

Alexander Hall, 27th March

Romanticism is the obvious link between Rachmaninov's Third Piano Concerto and Elgar's Second Symphony in this absorbing evening's entertainment supplied by Denis Kozhukhin, the RPO and its Music Director, Vasily Petrenko.

****1

Extrovert Rachmaninov from Kozhukhin and the Belgrade Philharmonic

Peter Connors, 6th October

In addition to Rachmaninov, the Belgrade Philharmonic and Jaume Santonja play Stevan Hrstić's atmospheric In the Countryside and excerpts from Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet.

****1

Ice but not much fire from Hannu Lintu and the BBC Symphony Orchestra

Alexander Hall, 17th February

Nothing quite ordinary or indeed comforting here, the heavy mixture of acid colouring in Lindberg, Ustvolskaya and Stravinsky not tempered by any opulence in Rachmaninov.

***11

Zinging strings: Janine Jansen leads an all-Stradivarius octet

Mark Pullinger, 19th December

Violin dealers J & A Beare celebrate its 130th anniversary in lavish style by bringing together eight of the Cremona luthier’s exceptional instruments for a concert directed by Dutch violinist, Janine Jansen.

****1

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Nick Boston

Nick has an MA in Music, specialising in performance and repertoire. His particular passions are choral music, chamber music and opera, with a particular interest in early music. He sings in a number of choirs in the south east of England, plays the piano and occasionally dusts off the violin. He writes about music here.

Passionately committed Brahms from Janine Jansen and friends at Wigmore Hall