Quotes

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
Vasily Petrenko, conductor

Shostakovich – Violin Concerto no.1

★★★★★

…..There was also some terrific music making, not least from violinist Simone Lamsma, who had stepped in at short notice after soloist Sergei Dogadin had had to withdraw from the engagement.

…..But in the event his replacement didn’t simply rise to the occasion, she soared…..

…..Lamsma, who previously played Korngold’s violin concerto with the orchestra last November, proved herself more than a match for Shostakovich’s strenuous and symphonic creation…..”
Full review

Arts City Liverpool

8 July 2022

Grant Park Festival Orchestra
David Danzmayr, conductor

Korngold – Violin Concerto

 Violinist Lamsma delivers exciting and individual Korngold with Grant Park Orchestra

…..While Lamsma soared through the fireworks of the outer movements with technical ease, what made her performance striking was her treating the work as more than just a summer fiddle showpiece. The Dutch violinist consistently drew out Korngold’s lush melodies, playing with a sweet, shimmering tone and bringing out the rhapsodic element of the concerto. In the Romance, Lamsma’s spacious phrasing was sustained with great skill, making the slow movement into a mesmerizing dream-like fantasia…..


…..Enthusiastic standing ovations for soloists are de rigueur at Millennium Park but the cheers and sustained applause for Lamsma were well deserved…..”
Full review

Lawrence A. Johnson – Chicago Classical Review

25 July 2022

Orchestre Phlharmonique de Strasbourg
Aziz Shokhakimov, conductor

Shostakovich – Violin Concerto no.1

…..The original violin soloist for the Shostakovich, Patricia Kopatchinskaya, cancelled with two days notice. Within a few hours, they had found a replacement, and Simone Lamsma took over – Lamsma has recorded a notable Shostakovich First (coupled with Gubaidulina’s violin concerto In Tempus praesens, both with the Netherlands Radio PO – James Gaffigan conducts the Shostakovich: see the MusicWeb International review here). That recording certainly impressed Shokhakimov (he joked, ‘my compliments to this record’) and he certainly seemed delighted with Lamsma after their rehearsal. And indeed, there was no doubting that she is attuned to the world of the opening Nocturne – long lines were despatched with blanched tone, the low strings dark and ominous, the orchestra shifting threateningly underneath. Lamsma clearly sees the first movement as one long melodic thread and, supported by Shokhakimov and his players, the first movement became an extended lament. It is a long lament, and concentration never once flagged; timbrally, too, this was an orchestra transformed, bright and breezy in the Prokofiev ‘Classical,’ shadowy and ominous in the Shostakovich concerto. The Scherzo, too, was no mere ‘joke’ as its name implies: resolute, impeccably together and frankly, hell-for-leather. Lamsma and the pizzicato Strasbourg strings found a danse macabre here, later creating a sense of manic jubilation. The music sounded as if it would explode; two single claps from the audience at the movement end implied someone was inspired to break a social norm, at least for a moment!

The third and fourth movements are notable not only for their power but for the cadenza that connects them. The Passacaglia third movement carried the weight of the world on its shoulders. The orchestral contributions here gave a hint as to what Shokhakimov might bring to Shostakovich symphonies; and when Lamsma entered, her tone took us straight back to the profound ruminations of the first movement. Shostakovich’s mighty way with the passacaglia form is writ large here, its unstoppable slow momentum enabled via Shokhakimov’s rock-solid rhythm. The cadenza between the final two movements was awesome in the literal sense, a tour-de-force, Lamsma’s stoppings real expressions of emotional pain, the whole shaped perfectly. The final movement (Burlesque) again made no compromises, fearlessly fast, with wind in complete accord with the soloist in the tricky exchanges. Shokhakimov ensured the dark storm clouds of Shostakovich’s scoring loomed dangerously over Lamsma’s virtuosity. Stunning.


An encore from Lamsma – the Largo from Bach’s Sonata for Solo Violin in C, BWV1005, hypnotic and a moment of stillness much needed after the Shostakovich. Perfectly chosen; and perfectly executed, with the loveliest purity of tone and line…..”
Full review

Colin Clarke – Seen and Heard International

27 May 2022

London Symphony Orchestra
Gianandrea Noseda, conductor

Tchaikovsky – Violin Concerto

Essentially an all-Russian affair, this was an exemplary performance from Lamsma, Noseda and the LSO”

…..Lamsma is a highly-regarded artist, having garnered excellent notices from her performances with some of the most high-ranking orchestras across the globe, and on the evidence of this coruscating interpretation of Tchaikovsky’s homage to the violin it is not hard to see why.
Overflowing with exuberance, Lamsma stamped her personality across the whole score. The extended first movement, which in lesser hands can often meander due to its lack of contrasts, here held the listener spellbound. Warmth, vitality, and energy suffused her playing, which even at times dared to exude a sultry feel. The first movement’s cadenza not only highlighted her faultless technique, but her superb interpretative qualities as well – and despite producing virtuosic fireworks, none of her playing was showy or ostentatious – it all stemmed from the natural ebb and flow of the piece.

There was an unhurried, almost elegiac feel to the second movement’s Canzonetta, its melancholic theme faultlessly traced by Lamsma, mirrored superbly by the London Symphony Orchestra’s attentive woodwind section. Indeed it is rare that both the soloist and orchestra inexorably breathe as one, yet this musical chemistry was evident between both throughout. Lamsma was playful, skittish almost, in the vivacious third movement, setting the seal on an exemplary interpretation.”
Full review

Keith McDonnell – Seen and Heard International

16 April 2022

London Symphony Orchestra
Gianandrea Noseda, conductor

Tchaikovsky – Violin Concerto

Scintillating concerto and powerful symphony from Lamsma, Noseda and the LSO

…..It is a long time since I have heard such a confident statement of personality in this work and such an unashamed tribute to the Romantic spirit. The magic was there from the start, her smoky, smouldering tone drawing the listener in, robust and earthy in the lowest register, a strong and passionate sound where it mattered but equally capable of the tenderest whispers above the stave. You sensed the lungs slowly opening to the maximum extent, the diaphragm tightening and flattening to absorb all the ambient oxygen, Lamsma’s powerful bowing arm extracting every tonal shading and dynamic variation.

The Canzonetta opened to the gentlest of entries, the first horn softly supportive in the background and a gurgling clarinet conjuring up the heat haze of a summer’s day. It was her effortless capacity for allowing the violin to speak, with all the time in the world, as she had already done in the first movement cadenza, which most impressed here. There was plenty of pedal to the metal in the Finale, where Noseda perfectly matched the flexibility of Lamsma’s tempi, the sparkle of the LSO textures allied to the soloist’s scintillating playing. But there was another quality here which I have rarely encountered elsewhere: an impishness and delight in unabashed playfulness, most evident in the little extra touches of rubato and delicious slides…..”
Full review

Alexander Hall – Bachtrack

11 April 2022

Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
Antonio Pappano, conductor

Britten – Violin Concerto

…..Solista è la talentuosa Simone Lamsma, che regala al pubblico in sala, grazie al suo Stradivari, una performance straordinaria. Lamsma disegna la melopea composta da Britten per il violino, sensuale e quasi ipnotica, con intonazione perfetta, respiro, eccellente gestione delle dinamiche e dei volumi sonori…..

…..Merito principale della Lamsma è aver saputo leggere, con raffinatezza e accortezza, questa peculiare caratteristica della scrittura britteniana dispiegata in questo concerto…..”
Full review

Stefano Ceccarelli – L’Ape musicale

30 March 2022

Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal
Louis Langrée, conductor

Bartok – Violin Concerto no.1

…..Elle a encore davantage convaincu mercredi dans Bartók, d’autant plus qu’elle s’est avérée toujours aussi juste et pure dans son intonation. Son atout sonore d’une chanterelle (la corde aiguë) rayonnante s’est à nouveau vérifié à la fin du 1er mouvement, magique…..”

Christophe Huss - Le Devoir

10 February 2022

Gürzenich Orchester Köln
Duncan Ward, conductor

Korngold – Violin Concerto

…..Star der Aufführung war die niederländische Geigerin Simone Lamsma, die mit dem Konzert, wie es aussieht, ihr – fulminantes – Köln-Debüt gab…..


…..Wegen der vielen verarbeiteten Filmmelodien mögen Geiger sich versucht sehen, das Werk in einen süffig-widerstandslosen Hollywood-Sound zu tauchen. Dem versagte sich Lamsma mit wachem künstlerischem Bewusstsein. Sicher gab sie mit der Dichte der Phrase und der Fülle des Einzeltons, auch mit dem dunklen Glanz ihrer G- Saite dem strömenden Melos ihres Parts alles, was dieser verlangt…..“

Kölner Stadtanzeiger

31 January 2022

NSO Washington
Simone Young, conductor

Britten – Violin Concerto

…..Simone Lamsma delivered with gusto…..
…..Lamsma took on the challenge with a bright timbre, almost brassy against the percussion. Controlled but ardent, exuberant but vexed, she triumphed over its physical hurdles and demonstrated an innate understanding of the historical complexities undergirding the work…..”
Full review

Sydney Boyd - Bachtrack

21 November 2021

Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
Olari Elts, conductor

Roslavets – Violin Concerto no.1

…..Jännittävä a hurja konsertto sai hyvin innostuneen vastaanoton…..
…..Tunnelma oli hallusinatorisen kiihkeä, usein pahaenteinen. Lamsma hakkasi Stradivaristaan upeaa tulista hehkua, kuumeisen vimman vallassa. Lyyrisissä ja kamarimusiikillisissa jaksoissa solistilla oli tilaisuus hengähtää ja antaa viulun laulaa viiltävän kauniisti…..”

English translation:
“…..The exciting and ferocious concerto received a very enthusiastic reception…..
…..The atmosphere was hallucinatory passionate, often ominous. Lamsma pounded a wonderful fiery glow from her Stradivari, in the power of a feverish frenzy. In the lyrical and chamber music sections, the soloist had the opportunity to breathe and let the violin sing incisively beautifully…..”
Full review

Hannu-Ilari Lampila - Helsingin Sanomat

8 October 2021

Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra
Olari Elts, conductor

Roslavets – Violin Concerto no.1

…..Wat een wonder dat ze zich dit veertig minuten durende stuk in tien dagen eigen maakte.
…..Het handjevol orkestmedewerkers en de eenzame recensent op het balkon zullen Lamsma’s prachtig gespeelde, extatische cadens niet snel vergeten.”

Merlijn Kerkhof - Volkskrant

7 March 2021

Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra
Olari Elts, conductor

Roslavets – Violin Concerto no.1

Indrukwekkende invalbeurt Simone Lamsma in monsterconcert Roslavets”

“…..Stuwende loopjes. Lange extatische lijnen. Vederlichte krabbels of juist dramatisch vol in de snaar: Lamsma wisselde razendsnel van expressief register. Mooi ook hoe ze de hechte motivische verstrengeling tussen solopartij en orkest uit de verf liet komen, fraaie een-tweetjes met de althobo voorop…..”
Full review

Joep Christenhusz - NRC Handelsblad

7 March 2021

London Philharmonic Orchestra
John Storgards, conductor

Nielsen – Violin Concerto

…..Simone Lamsma gave a full-blooded and wholesome reading. The attention-grabbing opening immediately revealed Lamsma’s robust style, with a super-sweet upper register coming to the fore at key moments, while her florid melodic lines coursed through the piece, weaving though Nielsen’s intriguing harmonies and combining with clever intricacy in interplay with the orchestra.”
Full review

Mark Thomas - Bachtrack

15 October 2020

Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra
Karina Canellakis, conductor

Ravel – Tzigane

…..Wie zou je ook liever horen in Ravels vonkende Tzigane dan violiste Simone Lamsma met haar volle toon, communicatieve speelwijze en van kleuren overlopende, ook het ruwe en rauwe niet mijdende klankpalet?…..”

MIscha Spel - NRC Handelsblad

6 July 2020

Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra
Karina Canellakis, conductor

Prokofiev – Violin Concerto no.1

 Solist Simone Lamsma schitterde in Prokofjevs ‘Eerste vioolconcert’.


…..Mooi ook hoe ze (Canellakis) voor de pauze alle ruimte liet aan solist Simone Lamsma, die in een zinderende lezing van Prokofjevs Eerste vioolconcert liet horen waarom ze een van ’s-lands allerbeste violisten is.”

 

English translation:

“Soloist Simone Lamsma shone in Prokofiev’s ‘First Violin Concerto’.

 

….. It is also beautiful how she (Canellakis), before the break, left space to soloist Simone Lamsma, who showed in a thrilling lecture of Prokofiev’s First violin concert why she is one of the country’s very best violinists.”

Full review

Joep Christenhusz - NRC Handelsblad

1 March 2020

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Robert Trevino, conductor

Szymanowski – Violin Concerto no.1

…..My failure to read the programme properly in advance led to a surprise of sheer delight as the wonderful soloist Simone Lamsma took the stage for Szymanowski’s Violin Concerto No.1.

She played as if her life depended on it and her performance on its own was truly electrifying…..

 

By sheer chance I have had a few conversations in recent weeks about the universal power of music and its ability to take hold of every emotion and be a force for good on so many levels.

Electrifying Rhythms was an absolutely classic, high voltage, case in point.”
Full review

Andy Martin – Bournemouth Echo

13 February 2020

Orchestre national d’Île-de-France
Case Scaglione, conductor

Sibelius – Violin Concerto

La violoniste néerlandaise n’en est pas à sa première apparition en France…..mais n’est guère connue chez nous. Quelques prestations du niveau de son Concerto de Sibelius auraient vite fait de changer les choses …

 

…..la soliste emporte l’enthousiasme de l’auditoire — et le notre ! – par une approche d’une maîtrise phénoménale. La perfection, la justesse absolue peuvent parfois se muer en froideur ; sur un magnifique Strad « Mlynarski » (1718), elles permettent à S. Lamsma de se hisser à une dimension supérieure, une perfection habitée qui sied idéalement au caractère du Concerto en ré majeur, d’autant que Scaglione respire avec sa partenaire et emplit la partition d’une souffle puissant. Du grand art, là comme dans le 1e mouvement de la 2ème Sonate « à Jacques Thibaud » d’Ysaÿe, offert en bis –  et assumé avec un foudroyant aplomb!”

 

 

English translation:

“The Dutch violinist is not at her first appearance in France…..but is hardly known here. A few performances at the level of his Sibelius Concerto would have quickly changed things…..


…..the soloist wins the enthusiasm of the audience – and ours! – by an approach of phenomenal mastery. Perfection and absolute accuracy can sometimes turn into coldness; on a magnificent Strad “Mlynarski” (1718), they allow S. Lamsma to rise to a higher dimension, an inhabited perfection which ideally suits the character of the Concerto in D major, especially as Scaglione breathes with his partner and fills the partition of a mighty breath. Great art, there as in the 1st movement of the 2nd Sonata “to Jacques Thibaud” by Ysaÿe, offered as a bis – and assumed with a lightning strike!”

Full review

Alain Cochard – Concertclassic.com

13 January 2020

Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife
Alexander Shelley, conductor

Bartók – Violin Concerto no.1

 Shelley, Lamsma y la Sinfónica de Tenerife triunfan con un programa del siglo XX

 

Simone Lamsma estuvo sensacional, confirmándose como una de las violinistas más interesantes del momento. Además de mostrar una técnica muy segura, destacó su capacidad para identificarse con todos los estados de ánimo requeridos: desde el comienzo lastimoso y los fraseos postrománticos del primer tiempo hasta los contrastes y los ataques rítmicos, y casi violentos, del segundo. También mostró una capacidad especial de colaboración camerística con la orquesta y el director, fundamental en una escritura tan cargada de contrapuntos y sutilezas…..
Extraordinaria versión de una obra que debería ser más conocida.”

 

 

English translation:
“Shelley, Lamsma and the Tenerife Symphony triumph with a 20th century program


Simone Lamsma was sensational, confirming herself as one of the most interesting violinists of the moment. In addition to showing a very safe technique, she highlighted her ability to identify with all the required moods: from the pitiful beginning and the post-Romantic phrasing of the first half to the contrasts and rhythmic, and almost violent, attacks of the second. She also showed a special capacity for chamber music collaboration with the orchestra and the conductor, fundamental in a writing so loaded with counterpoints and subtleties…..
Extraordinary version of a work that should be better known.”
Full review

Francisco Martínez Ramos – Bachtrack

7 December 2019

Hallé Orchestra
Jamie Phillips, conductor

Bruch – Violin Concerto no.1

Simone Lamsma’s sensational Bruch with the Hallé in Blackburn

…..From start to finish Lamsma’s radiantly Romantic playing contained affirming qualities of strength and sensitivity drawing me firmly in. Standing out in the Adagio, the emotional heart of the score, was the intense level of reflection and yearning she imparted which never became over-sentimental….. 


…..Lamsma’s control over pitch and intonation was impeccable and her ‘Mlynarski’ Stradivarius (1718) produced a sweet, glorious tone…. 


…..My lasting impression is the Hallé breathing life into two war horses of the repertory aided in the Bruch by soloist Simone Lamsma who was nothing short of sensational.”

Full review

Michael Cookson –Seen and Heard International

28 October 2019

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Fabien Gabel, conductor

Bruch – Violin Concerto no.1
★★★★★

“Simone Lamsma was soloist in Bruch’s Violin Concerto no.1, bringing to this well-loved (never let it be said “hackneyed”) work a sense of spontaneous, improvisatory freedom and a deliciously throaty tone in her lower registers.

 

Lamsma was always totally at one with the music and indeed with the orchestra, the orchestra collaborating attentively and then blossoming in their own tutti passages…..”
Full review

Christopher Morley – MidlandsmusicreviewsPublished on Slipped Disc

24 October 2019

Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal
Kent Nagano, conductor
South America tour
Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires

Brahms – Violin Concerto

…..en la noche anterior habíamos sido testigos de un verdadero prodigio, con la violinista holandesa Simone Lamsma interpretando el monumental Concierto en Re mayor de Johannes Brahms…..
Para nosotros este Brahms marcó el punto más alto de las dos noches…..”

 

English translation:

“…..on the previous night we had witnessed a true prodigy, with the Dutch violinist Simone Lamsma performing the monumental Concert in D major by Johannes Brahms…..
For us this Brahms marked the highest point of the two nights…..”

Full review

German A. Serain – martinwullich.com

20 October 2019

Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal
Kent Nagano, conductor
South America tour
Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires

Brahms – Violin Concerto

Un concierto de alta jerarquía

 

Con acompañamiento orquestal preciso y seguro, de depurado estilo, la función, octava de la temporada del Mozarteum se inició con el único Concierto para violín que escribió Johannes Brahms, en cuya ejecución resultó francamente sorprendente la labor de la solista holandesa (34).­

Vinculada con su instrumento desde que contaba cinco años, formada luego en la Royal Academy of Music de Londres, Simone Lamsma, de relevante trayectoria (Concertgebouw, Radio France, New York, Boston, San Francisco, Cleveland, Chicago), exhibió en su debut en Buenos Aires no solo virtuosismo espléndido sino también brillante musicalidad.­

Trémolos esbeltos, dobles y triples cuerdas, franco manejo de las gradaciones, infinita seguridad en el deslizamiento de un arco de notable tersura se inscribieron entre los aspectos destacados de su labor; pero por encima de ello, lo más remarcable fueron la exquisitez del `legato’ y la sobresaliente homogeneidad del sonido, absolutamente lleno y parejo a lo largo y a lo ancho de toda la tesitura (cuando ya se sabe que no sucede lo mismo aún con más de uno de los violinistas mejor encumbrados).­

En esta dirección, podemos señalar asimismo que la extensa cadencia libre del primer movimiento lució reverberaciones singulares, los pianíssimos se oyeron siempre de manera diáfana, y en el `adagio’ el lenguaje del arco se reveló verdaderamente como un canto elegíaco. El final de esta pieza extenuante para el solista (`allegro giocoso ma non troppo vivace-poco più presto’) mostró a nuestra visitante enérgica, impetuosa, con ataques fulminantes, centro sedoso y graves de tocante cuerpo.­”

 

 

English translation:

“A concert of high hierarchy

 

With precise and sure orchestral accompaniment, of refined style, the performance, the eighth of the Mozarteum season began with the only Violin Concerto written by Johannes Brahms, in whose performance the work of the Dutch soloist was frankly surprising (34).

Linked to her instrument since she was five years old, then trained at the Royal Academy of Music in London, Simone Lamsma, with a relevant career (Concertgebouw, Radio France, New York, Boston, San Francisco, Cleveland, Chicago), exhibited on her debut in Buenos Aires not only splendid virtuosity but also brilliant musicality.

Slender tremolos, double and triple strings, frank handling of the gradations, infinite safety in the sliding of a bow of remarkable smoothness were among the highlights of his work; but above this, the most remarkable were the exquisiteness of the `legato’ and the outstanding homogeneity of the sound, absolutely full and even throughout the entire range (when it is already known that the same does not happen with even more from one of the best-known violinists) .

In this direction, we can also point out that the extensive free cadence of the first movement sported singular reverberations, the pianissimos were always heard in an open way, and in the ‘adagio’ the language of the bow was truly revealed as an elegiac song. The end of this strenuous soloist piece (‘allegro giocoso ma non troppo vivace-poco più presto’) showed our energetic, impetuous visitor, with fulminating attacks, a silky center, and severe touching body.”
Full review

Carls Ernesto Ure – La Prensa

8 October 2019

Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal
Kent Nagano, conductor
South America tour
Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires

Brahms – Violin Concerto

intensidad y precisión

 

Total sincronía. La solista Simone Lamsma y el director Kent nagano, en una impecable interpretación del Concierto para violín de Brahms, anoche en el Colón.


El estilo sutil y mesurado de Nagano se complementó a la perfección con la pasional ejecución de Simone Lamsma.”

 

English translation:

“intensity and precision

 

Total synchrony. Soloist Simone Lamsma and director Kent Nagano, in an impeccable interpretation of the Brahms Violin Concerto, last night at the Colon.


The subtle and measured style of Nagano was complemented perfectly with the passionate execution of Simone Lamsma.”
Full review

Federico Monjeau – Clarín

8 October 2019

Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal
Kent Nagano, conductor
South America tour
Centro de las Artes, Santiago Chili

Brahms – Violin Concerto

Elegancia y bondades para no olvidar


…..el mérito fue compartido con la violinista holandesa: no solo fue una refinada solista, de clara personalidad interpretativa, con buen gusto en su interpretación; también imprimió a su trabajo fuerza e intensidad expresiva, con una amplia gama de matices y con el espíritu de Brahms rodeándola y atrayendo la atención sobre su ejecución elocuente. Su labor fue recompensada por el público, y ella, agradecida, respondió con el último movimiento de la Sonata para violín solo, de Paul Hindemith, donde se pudo apreciar su virtuosismo y su gran técnica.”

 

English translation:

“Unforgettable elegance and kindness

 

…..the merit was shared with the Dutch violinist: she was not only a refined soloist, with a clear interpretive personality, with good taste in her performance; she also gave her work expressive force and intensity, with a wide range of nuances and with the spirit of Brahms surrounding her and drawing attention to her eloquent performance. Her work was rewarded by the public, and she, grateful, responded with the last movement of the Sonata for solo violin, by Paul Hindemith, where her virtuosity and great technique could be appreciated.”
Full review

Claudia Ramírez - La Tercera

7 October 2019

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Elim Chan, conductor
Concertgebouw, Amsterdam

Tchaikovsky – Violin Concerto

In plaats van Janine kwam Simone Lamsma het vioolconcert van Tsjaikovski spelen en dat was een openbaring. We wisten natuurlijk al hoe goed Lamsma is, maar hier pakte ze iedereen in met een overrompelende uitvoering. Vooral in de grote cadens in het eerste deel toonde de violiste haar kracht. Voor mij hét hoogtepunt van de week.
Ze sprak na afloop op een aandoenlijke manier het publiek toe, en speelde als toegift met vijf strijkers van het orkest het tweede deel van Tsjaikovski’s strijksextet ‘Souvenir de Florence’.
Klasse.”

 

English translation:
“Instead of Janine, Simone Lamsma came to play Tchaikovsky’s violin concerto and that was a revelation. We already knew how good Lamsma is, but here she grabbed everyone with an overwhelming performance. The violinist showed her strength especially in the major cadenzas in the first movement. For me the highlight of the week.
Afterwards she addressed the audience in a touching way, and as an encore with five string players from the orchestra she played the second movement of Tchaikovsky’s string sextet ‘Souvenir de Florence’.
Class.”

Full article

Peter van der Lint - Trouw

22 September 2019

Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg
Gustavo Gimeno, conductor
Philharmonie Luxembourg

Tchaikovsky – Violin Concerto

Début de saison un peu chamboulé pour l’Orchestre philharmonique du Luxembourg ce mardi 17 septembre, avec l’annulation pour raison de santé de la soliste Janine Jansen. Mais sa remplaçante au pied levé, Simone Lamsma, a su aller au-delà de son rôle de doublure et imposer sa propre personnalité. La tournée en Amérique du Sud s’annonce passionnante.”

English translation:
The season started a little upset for the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra on Tuesday 17 September, with the cancellation for health reasons of soloist Janine Jansen. But her replacement at short notice, Simone Lamsma, knew how to go beyond her role of understudy and impose her own personality. The tour of South America promises to be exciting.”

Full review

Florent Toniello – Woxx.lu

18 September 2019

Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg
Gustavo Gimeno, conductor
Philharmonie Luxembourg

Tchaikovsky – Violin Concerto

Geigerin Simone Lamsma überzeugte mit ihrer atemberaubenden Leichtigkeit.

 

…..die 33-jährige Solistin präsentierte mit ihrer sauberen Phrasierung ohne Effekthascherei die virtuosen Passagen mit tief empfundener Musikalität in neuer Frische. Besonders die dynamischen Steigerungen des lyrischen Hauptthemas, im Wechsel mit der glänzenden Klangfülle des Orchesters, unterstrichen die geigerische Verkörperung intensivster bestechender Fantasien, die ihren Höhepunkt im 3. Satz in den temperamentvoll intonierten Varianten in „russischem Profil“ mit extremem Schwierigkeitsgrad erreichte. Schon im vorhergehenden Satz „Canzonetta: Andante“ vermittelte die leidenschaftliche Kammermusikerin mit ihrer Mlynarski-Stradivari aus dem Jahr 1718, die ihr von einem anonymen Förderer zur Verfügung gestellt wurde, einen wirkungsvollen Klangzauber, der die träumerische Ausstrahlung der ergreifenden melodiösen Struktur, vorbildlich zurückhaltend vom Orchester begleitet, in den Vordergrund stellte. Simone Lamsma bedankte sich mit der makellose Interpretation einer architektonisch vollendeten zweistimmigen Partita für Sologeige von Johann Sebastian Bach für die begeisterten Applaussalven….”

Full review

Claude Müller – Lëtzebuerger Journal

18 September 2019

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Elim Chan, conductor
Konzerthaus, Dortmund

Tchaikovsky – Violin Concerto

Noch mehr als die Orchesterstücke war Tschaikowskys Violinkonzert in der ersten Hälfte Spätromantik im schönsten Sinne. Lamsma bot einen durchdachten, empfindsamen Tschaikowsky, altgolden im Ton, mit einer üppigen, etwas cremigen Klanggebung. Sie nahm sich Raum und Zeit in der Kadenz des ersten Satzes, wo das Pizzicato sanft anklopfte, die Spitzentöne vorsichtig hingesungen klangen. Ihr Tschaikowsky war weder analytisch noch verträumt, sondern gefühlvoll und ausgewogen. Der zweite Satz war empfindsam, ohne nebelhaft verträumt zu werden. Im Schlusssatz arbeitete Lamsma die emotionalen Kontraste heraus: fein ziseliert in den langsamen Passagen, explosiv in den zügigen.


Für die Zugabe fand sich Lamsma mit Musikern des Concertgebouw zu einem Sextett zusammen: Es gab einen Ausschnitt aus dem zweiten Satz von Tschaikowskys „Souvenir de Florence“, so schmeichelhaft schön gespielt, dass die Besucher auf Wolken des Wohlklangs aus dem Saal trieben.”
Full review

Edda Breski - Westfälische Anzeiger

18 September 2019

Orchestre symphonique de Montréal
Kent Nagano, conductor
Festival de Lanaudière

Brahms – Violin Concerto

…..la violoniste Simone Lamsma, pour la première fois au festival, devenait la révélation de cette nuit d’été, en dévoilant son talent immense dans le concerto pour violon en ré majeur de Brahms…..

…..Simone Lamsma maniait son violon avec génie devant l’ensemble de l’auditoire de l’amphithéâtre Fernand Lindsay…..”

 

English translation

“…..violinist Simone Lamsma, for the first time at the festival, became the revelation of that summer night, unveiling her immense talent in Brahms’ violin concerto in D major…..

…..Simone Lamsma handled her violin with genius in front of the entire audience of the Fernand Lindsay amphitheatre…..”
Full review

Flore Thery - Sorstu.ca

3 August 2019

Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra
Fabien Gabel, conductor

Korngold – Violin Concerto

.Ci wszyscy słuchacze otrzymali dość wymagający repertuar, ale jednocześnie gwaratnujący niesamowite bogactwo dźwięków i kunszt artystyczny. Prawdziwą przyjemnością było słuchanie holenderskiej skrzypaczki Simone Lamsmy, która przedstawiła brawurową interpretację partii solowej w Koncercie skrzypcowym D-dur Ericha Wolfganga Korngolda. Nie przesadzone były recenzje amerykańskich krytyków, którzy młodą holenderską skrzypaczkę nazwali jedną z najbardziej fascynujących osobowości muzycznych, a jej interpretacje “olśniewającymi”.

Liryczne dźwieki i wielka wirtuozeria jej piątkowego występu – grała na instrumencie Stradivariego „Młynarski” z roku 1718, wypożyczonym jej przez anonimowego mecenasa – zachwyciły publiczność.”

 

 

English translation

“All these listeners received quite a demanding repertoire, but at the same time guaranteed incredible richness of sounds and artistic craftsmanship. It was a real pleasure to listen to the Dutch violinist Simone Lamsma, who presented a reckless interpretation of the solo part in Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s Violin Concerto in D major. The reviews of American critics, who called the young Dutch violinist one of the most fascinating musical personalities, and her “dazzling” interpretations were not exaggerated.

The lyrical sounds and the great virtuosity of her Friday performance – she played the Stradivari instrument “Młynarski” from 1718, loaned to her by an anonymous patron – delighted the audience.”

Full review

Wojciech Rogacin - Polska Times

11 May 2019

Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
Alexander Shelley, conductor

Sibelius – Violin Concerto

The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra welcomed two equally powerful forces to the Federation Concert Hall stage: violinist Simone Lamsma and conductor Alexander Shelley. Thanks to clever programming and an outstanding collection of performances, the evening exuded positive energy and authenticity…..

 

…..The result was an impassioned performance with fervent stage presence…..”
Full review

Stephanie Eslake – Limelight Magazine

15 April 2019

Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Alexander Shelley, conductor

Beethoven – Violin Concerto

…..Lamsma, in particular, brought an individuality to the work that was supremely satisfying…..

 

…..Lamsma was fully engaged with the work, attentive to the orchestra and conductor and continually aware of her fellow players. Not only was she aware of those connections , she also responded to the music in a way few violinists seem to be affected by…..

…..She played with the lightest of touches when needed and with a controlled passion at other times. At all times she seemed to be moved by the music, both while she listened to the orchestra playing or when she played. She seemed to be constantly exploring the music,  making it mysterious,  pensive or ecstatic, always searching for meaning and depth, displaying intelligent resourcefulness…..

…..she played with a refined purity and posture, which was both dignified and sublime…..
Full review

The National Business Review

April 2019

Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Alexander Shelley, conductor

Beethoven – Violin Concerto

Virtuoso Simone Lamsma gives SSO fans a Dutch treat

 

 …..This was a subtly weighted and shaped performance with sensitivity given to Beethoven’s singing lines.

The closing moments of the gorgeous second movement was a case in point. The delicate filigree woven over the Francesco Celata’s clarinet solo, the trills, the perfect high notes all gave way to a magical moment when the audience’s hearts moved up to their mouths as Lamsma’s Stradivarius wove a gossamer thread before the full-throated trill and flourish that took us into the dancing finale…..”
Full review

Steve Moffatt – The Daily Telegraph

9 April 2019

Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Alexander Shelley, conductor

Beethoven – Violin Concerto

Simone Lamsma review: A thoughtful, impeccable performance


Simone Lamsma played Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D, Opus 61 with rewarding musical thoughtfulness and impeccable instrumental accomplishment, making her violin radiate with a sound of rich sweetness and golden colour…..

…..Despite its justified popularity, this concerto has enduring challenges for performers in balancing logic of tempo, seriousness of utterance and flexibility of expression.

This performance charted a deft path through them to create an experience of substance, beauty and joy…..”
Full review

Peter McCallum – Sydney Morning Herald

4 April 2019

Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Alexander Shelley, conductor

Beethoven – Violin Concerto

Illuminating, focused display by rising stars


…..Beethoven’s is a concerto of symphonic dimensions. Lamsma and Shelley’s spacious tempos and long-breathed phrasing demonstrated a clear-sighted understanding of work’s structure and expressive breadth. They always kept the longer lines in sight while acknowledging the significance of each moment…..”
Full review

Murray Black – The Australian

4 April 2019

Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Alexander Shelley, conductor

Beethoven – Violin Concerto

★★★★★

A superlative performance…..


…..This was a refined, organic performance: Lamsma’s pianissimos were whisper-quiet and spider-web delicate – but with underlying strength – her high register molten, her tone tearing silk in the double stopping of the cadenza.

 

Despite the virtuosity of Beethoven’s writing, Lamsma never put a foot out of place, her technique seemingly effortless and always understated, riding the deeper running currents of the music – no cheap thrills here, every climax was absolutely earned. Shelley proved a sensitive and intelligent collaborator on the podium, coaxing a warm, hushed sound from the strings in the opening of the Larghetto, ahead of Lamsma’s gossamer entry, the slow movement lingering exquisitely…..”
Full review

Angus McPherson – Limelight Magazine

3 April 2019

Solo recital
Recitals Australia – Ukaria

Works by Ysaÿe, Hindemith and Bach

★★★★★

An all-too-rare perfect recital given by a formidable musician


…..After having the chance of hearing the Dutch violinist Simone Lamsma as soloist in a superb account of the Sibelius Violin Concerto, it was a rare treat to attend a recital at Ukaria with its magnificent acoustics. So intimate and warm was the experience of both the venue and the playing that it felt at times as if the audience was within the body of her Stradivarius itself. Lamsma possesses a seemingly limitless palette of tonal colours which were used throughout the programme, and a flawless technique with which to support and stake her claim…..

 

…..All works were passionately played with concentration and utter conviction. Here is a complete musician and one of those all too rare ones wherein the music seems to flow through them, making only making the score some fresh, but seemingly somehow almost recreating the work as it is played…..”
Full review

Brett Allen-Bayes – Limelight Magazine

2 April 2019

Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
Nicholas Carter, conductor

Sibelius – Violin Concerto

….Jean Sibelius’s demanding “Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47” allowed Dutch guest violinist Simone Lamsma to shine. She was immediately in vigorous command, extracting the most from the “Mlynarski” Stradivarius on loan to the ASO.


There is an anxious fussiness in this passionate piece; also yearning, querulous, sorrowful, and tender tones. It requires fast and precise playing, and Lamsma was on top of every such nuance with her animated playing…..”

Full review

Steve Evans – In Daily

1 April 2019

Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
Nicholas Carter, conductor

Sibelius – Violin Concerto

…..a transporting performance by violinist Simone Lamsma…..

 

…..from that broad and brooding opening melody with those ebbing strings, it was sensed that this was going to be a great performance – one weighted with great depth of feeling and a sense of purpose coupled with a seemingly limitless variety of tone colours and effects…..

……This masterly take was followed by a movement from one of Paul Hindemith’s solo sonatas – full of identification, knowledge and technical infallibility…..

…..Lamsma is one of those rare musicians wherein the music seems to move through and transport her.”
Full review

Brett Allen-Bayes – Limelight Magazine

29 March 2019

Oregon Symphony
Carlos Kalmar, conductor

Khachaturian – Violin Concerto

Oregon Symphony with Simone Lamsma give intense and superb concert


Outside the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall on Saturday (February 9), it was winter coat weather with temperatures below freezing, but inside things were toasty warm because of the fiery, incisive playing of violin soloist Simone Lamsma and the Oregon Symphony. It was the 34-year-old Dutch virtuoso’s fourth appearance with the orchestra, and this time around she delivered a searing performance of Khachaturian’s Violin Concerto.


Lamsma plumbed the extroverted and introverted contours of the piece with an intense fierceness. During the numerous lightning-fast passages, notes brilliantly took flight from her Strad, and she held nothing back form the rhapsodic, bravura sections. She also expressed the slower, melancholic sections with an equal amount of intensity, bringing out the somber colors that suggested a lament that my have drawn of the composer’s Armenian heritage.

The appreciative audience called Lamsma back to center stage three times, and she graciously responded with an encore. Instead of choosing a gentle and relaxing number, she tore into a wickedly difficult Finale from Hindemith’s sonata for solo violin. That brought down the house one more time.”
Full review

James Bash - Northwest Reverb

17 February 2019

Pittsburgh Symphony
Yan Pascal Tortelier, conductor

Korngold – Violin Concerto

★★★★★

…..Korngold’s Violin Concerto from Simone Lamsma is delivered with extraordinary deftness and depth…..


…..It’s natural to be reminded of Heifetz, Perlman and several other legendary violinists whenever encountering this concerto. In the midst of such august company, Simone Lamsma brought her own special measure of artistry to the Korngold concerto. Hers was a lyrical performance that was also highly expressive. Mandatory when it comes to performing Korngold well, Lamsma coaxed sweet tones from her instrument, but the interpretation was so much more than that. I sensed a depth of feeling in Korngold’s melodies that in the hands of other violinists can come across as mere surface appeal…..

…..this performance was the most impressive one I’ve ever heard – on recordings or in the concert hall – an amazing artistic feat…..”
Full review

Phillip Nones – Bachtrack

9 December 2018

New York Philharmonic
Jaap van Zweden, conductor

Britten – Violin Concerto

…..one of the most exciting concerts in recent memory…..


…..Tonight, in her New York Philharmonic debut, Ms. Lamsma played the Britten – a work I had not heard previously – in a stunning performance. A tall, elegant blonde clad in a striking, bejeweled black gown, Ms. Lamsma (who hails from The Netherlands) took possession of the stage and proved as riveting to hear as to watch. I began making a mental list of concertos I want to hear her play: Barber, Prokofiev, Stravinsky, Bruch, Sibelius, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven…well, all of them, really…..


…..Hopefully, the Maestro has had a contract drawn up to bring Ms. Lamsma back…season after season…..”

Full review

Oberon - Oberon's Grove

5 December 2018

New York Philharmonic
Jaap van Zweden, conductor

Britten – Violin Concerto

…..Simone Lamsma had all the tools—technical, mental, etc. She knew her own mind and was confident in everything she did. She was not a stranger to the piece—she had taken it within herself. Her sound was excellent and adaptable. That is, she applied different sounds to different moments, meeting different musical needs. Sometimes she was like a light lyric soprano with a penetrating voice—think Kathleen Battle. Battle could drive a laser beam through your head, and so can Lamsma. The Britten concerto has many moods, and Lamsma reflected them all: now she was puckish, now she was biting. She brought due passion. This is not one of those cool Britten pieces, but a fairly hot one, I would say.

I’ll confess to you that I have never much liked this concerto. But I certainly did from these forces: Lamsma, Van Zweden, and the Phil. I have never heard the piece better represented. I wish the performance had been recorded.


Lamsma played an encore, and she did something remarkable before she began: she spoke to the audience clearly and distinctly. No one ever does that. They all mumble thoughtlessly, basically. Also, she waited for the murmuring—the reaction—to die down before she started. No one ever does that either. Lamsma is obviously a higher kind of professional.”

Full review

Jay Nordlinger – The New Criterion

3 December 2018

New York Philharmonic
Jaap van Zweden, conductor

Britten – Violin Concerto

…..If you have the guts to trust Britten with your soul, you will be changed forever. It is very difficult to describe the intricacies in which Britten created the magic of his Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 15. Putting the piece’s intangibility into words is almost doing it a disservice.

The piece is not easy to understand intellectually, but the listener hears it on a level of emotion that is so intimate that they are almost afraid to talk about it. Performed by violinist Simone Lamsma with orchestra, it impressed on the audience so deeply, that people were heard saying that they no longer wanted to listen to the Shostakovich, which followed. (Fortunately they stayed, because it was quite a performance.)

This was Ms. Lamsma’s New York Philharmonic debut, and she completely earned it. It was clear that the piece had become a part of her, and that with her playing, she was sharing her own heart through the music. The agility required by the violinist was disguised by her stunning interpretation of the piece. The listener got to be carried through the complexities with seamless drive. It was one of the most touching emotional experiences created by the New York Philharmonic.”

Full review

Laura Jobin-Acosta – Press-Music

1 December 2018

New York Philharmonic
Jaap van Zweden, conductor

Britten – Violin Concerto

 Simone Lamsma…..made a brilliant Philharmonic debut in Britten’s Violin Concerto.
…..Ms. Lamsma, who first worked with her countryman Mr. van Zweden in 2007, played splendidly, with crisp clarity and brightly radiant sound, conveying both the rhapsodic fervor and intriguing pensiveness of the music…..”

Full review

Anthony Tommasini – New York Times

30 November 2018

New York Philharmonic
Jaap van Zweden, conductor

Britten – Violin Concerto

…..She played it many times since and her mastery of the difficult score…..didn’t leave room for any doubt. On this occasion, she played the 1965 revision, her Stradivarius navigating between soothing and muscular, dispatching the cadenza with great ease, bringing out certain lyrical shadows in this apparently tuneless, grim and formally rigorous musical experiment. The members of the New York Philharmonic (the ensemble premiered the piece in 1940 under the baton of the Sir John Barbirolli) offered great support. Van Zweden and Lamsma have been successfully collaborating for more than a decade and the tacit understanding between them was palpable.


Lamsma is not a household name here in America but her deep sense of commitment, which she brought not only to the concerto but also to the encore…..may well make her one. Van Zweden should quickly invite his protégée back to New York.”
Full review

Edward Sava-Segal – Bachtrack

30 November 2018

New York Philharmonic
Jaap van Zweden, conductor

Britten – Violin Concerto

…..Simone Lamsma gave a stunning performance on her ‘Mlynarski’ Stradivarius, remarkable in both technical dexterity and expressive intensity…..”

Full review

Lewis M.Smoley – Classical Source

29 November 2018

Belgrade Philharmonic
Daniel Raiskin, conductor

Bartók – Violin Concerto no.1

Simone Lamsma thrills in Bartok’s First Violin Concerto in Belgrade

Simone Lamsma gave an intense, exciting and witty performance of Bartók’s love song with the Belgrade Philharmonic and Daniel Raiskin

…a stunning performance of a great work…

…Right from the start Lamsma captivated the audience in this introspective, dreamy music with her beautiful, intense playing, as if taking the part of Stefi as seen by the admiring composer…

The whole concerto was deeply satisfying and beautifully played…”

Full article

Peter Connors - Bachtrack

28 October 2018

MDR Sinfonieorchester Leipzig
Robert Trevino, conductor

Bruch – Violin Concerto no.1

Wohlklang und eine fabelhafte Solistin

Gleich ihre ersten Töne nehmen gefangen. Das klingt nicht wie ein etwas müder Klassik-hit, dem eine Starsolistin mit allen Tricks neuartige Effekte und Emotionen abtrotzt. Die niederländische Geigerin Simone Lamsma hat wahrhafte Töne für all das, was zwischen den Zeilen der Partitur steht.

Durch Lamsma wird der erste Teil des ersten Mdr-matineekonzert der Saison im Gewandhaus zur Sternstunde…..”

Roland H.Dippel - Leipziger Volkszeitung

25 September 2018

San Diego Symphony
Fabien Gabel, conductor

Bernstein – Serenade after Plato’s ‘Symposium’

…..Under the astute baton of guest conductor Fabien Gabel, accomplished Dutch violinist Simone Lamsma and the San Diego Symphony gave a rapturous account of Bernstein’s violin concerto…..

…..Not many violinists are as compelling as Lamsma playing a stratospheric melody pianissimo…..”
Full article

Ken Herman – San Diego Story

5 May 2018

San Diego Symphony
Fabien Gabel, conductor

Bernstein – Serenade after Plato’s ‘Symposium’

…..a robust, lustrous performance of Bernstein’s “Serenade” by violinist Simone Lamsma. Lamsma’s sound was exquisite, a penetrating tone that commanded attention from her first bow …..”
Full article

Christian Hertzog –<br /> The San Diego Union-Tribune<br /> 5 May 2018

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Robert Trevino, conductor

Mendelssohn – Violin Concerto

…..Her incredible stage presence adds enormously to the performance, as it is impossible to draw the eye away. Almost attacking the instrument with tight precision, Lamsma mesmerised us with her impassioned approach to the piece,
dovetailing into the orchestra effortlessly.

Fast paced with rich dynamics, the orchestra’s response to the soloist’s energy was evident and as a result, the foot slamming applause was well deserved…..”
Full article

Liz Lean - Daily Echo

13 April 2018

Philharmonie Zuidnederland
Dmitri Liss, conductor

Korngold – Violin Concerto

Violiste Simone Lamsma weet te inspireren

Ze stond er als een stralende ster en zo speelde ze ook. De fraaie jurk en het lange blonde haar hielpen mee, maar Simone Lamsma had ook in jeans en met piekhaar de harten van de luisteraars gestolen. Ze is een ijzersterke musicienne, ze staat ruim boven de noten. Lamsma’s intense en loepzuivere spel deed de melodieuze, filmische muziek van componist Erich Korngold alle eer. Ze nam het voortouw, stimuleerde en inspireerde het orkest. Heerlijk wanneer solist en orkest zich zo eensgezind energiek een weg door de noten banen. Gevoel voor humor had de violiste ook. Als toegift speelde ze Carnaval in Venetië, een bekend, veel gearrangeerd deuntje waarin de tokkelende strijkers werden gepromoveerd tot mandolineorkestje…..”

Marjolijn Sengers - Eindhovens Dagblad

12 March 2018

Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Juraj Valcuha, conductor

Bernstein – Serenade

Lamsma, who possesses an effortless technique, conveyed warmth and beautiful line through each of its five varied movements. Moods ranged from muted to intense. The most irresistible, though, were the jazzier, more lighthearted ones.

She seemed to dance along in the third movement – a perpetual motion of treacherous figures for the violin – as if enjoying the challenge. Her phrases were deeply felt in the fourth movement, and the tone she communicated on her “Mlyrarski” Stradivarius (1718) was stunning. She dug into the jazzy finale, and ended the piece in a flash of technical fireworks.

Valčuha was a superb partner, and there were fine collaborations with orchestral soloists, notably principal cellist Ilya Finkelshteyn…..”
Full article

Janelle Gelfand –Cincinnati Business Enquirer

23 February 2018

Houston Symphony Orchestra
Omer Meir Wellber, conductor

Britten – Violin Concerto

But it was the orchestra’s moving performance of Britten’s Violin Concerto with soloist Simone Lamsma
that was the evening’s highlight…..”

Full article

Eric Skelly – Houston Chronicle

26 January 2018

Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra
Marc Albrecht, conductor

Sibelius – Violin Concerto

Violiste Simone Lamsma geeft fenomenale concerten in Amsterdam en Ede

 

…ze (Simone Lamsma) geeft zichzelf volledig en speelt viool als een vrouwelijke Prometheus die het vuur uit de hemel steelt. Met fonkelende noten vertelt ze in feilloos aangevoelde dynamische schakeringen en onweerstaanbare ritmes het expressieve verhaal van om het even welke partituur. Haar viooltechniek is zo ijzingwekkend gaaf en goed, dat het niet overdreven is om haar tot de beste violisten ter wereld te rekenen. Maar minstens zo indrukwekkend is de pure en gepassioneerde muzikaliteit waarmee ze de essentie van de muziek op een volstrekt authentieke wijze aanvoelt, modelleert en kleurt, zodat de melodieën vleugels krijgen en zelfs de meest bekende werken gesublimeerd worden tot ‘herscheppingen’ van de hoogste kwaliteit.

 

Op 20 november j.l. speelde Lamsma het Vioolconcert van Sibelius met het Nederlands Philharmonisch Orkest o.l.v. Marc Albrecht in het Concertgebouw. Zo spannend, zo mooi, zo intens, zo gaaf, zo kleurrijk en zo indringend had ik het weerbarstige concert daar nog niet eerder horen spelen. Als een Friese Walkure dwaalde ze door de ijzige vlaktes van het Finse landschap, dat het decor vormt voor de donkere schaduwkanten van de ziel van Sibelius, waaruit af en toe ook straaltjes hoop en verlangen oplichten. Nu weer als Ronja de Roversdochter in woeste galop over de ijzige vlakten, dan weer verwonderd mijmerend over de adembenemende schoonheid van de weerkaatsing van het licht op de besneeuwde bomen en bevroren vijvers, speelde Lamsma het vioolconcert als een spannende avonturenroman, waarbij de altijd integere Marc Albrecht en zijn orkest zich geanimeerd en flexibel en opstelden als de ideale ‘gesprekspartner’ voor La Lamsma. Wie denkt dat ik schromelijk overdrijf, kan het geregistreerde concert beluisteren op mijn volgende post:

https://www.nporadio4.nl/concerten/7217-simone-lamsma-schittert-in-sibelius-vioolconcert

Wenneke Savenije - Muze Pianowereld

December 2017

Recital with Robert Kulek
Edesche Concertzaal

Works by Poulenc, Ysaÿe, Franck and Ravel

Violiste Simone Lamsma geeft fenomenale concerten in Amsterdam en Ede

 

…In geanimeerde, soms woeste of juist heel tedere dialogen met haar vaste pianist Robert Kulek, maakte ze het intense drama van de door Poulenc verklankte executie van de Spaanse dichter Frederico García Lorca navoelbaar. Daarna speelden Lamsma en Kulek intiem maar ook aangrijpend Ysaÿe’s Poème élégiaque, geïnspireerd op de ‘Romeo en Julia’ van Shakespeare. Lamsma solo schitterde aansluitend in Ysaÿe’s Sonate voor solo viool, op. 27, een Ballade die geïnspireerd is op Bach, de Oost-Europese volksmuziek en de muzikale alleskunner Georges Enescu, ooit de geliefde leraar van Yehudi Menuhin. Van dit indrukwekkende werk zijn o.a. fantastische opnames te vinden op YouTube, maar Lamsma stak al haar beroemde collega’s moeiteloos naar de kroon. Na de pauze volgde een goudeerlijke, expressieve en zangerige vertolking van Francks overbekende, maar dankzij Lamsma toch weer als nieuw klinkende Vioolsonate in A van César Franck, waarna Lamsma en Kulek hun bijzondere recital besloten met een even gave als aanstekelijke vertolking van Ravels Tzigane, waar de vonken vanaf spatten.

Wenneke Savenije - Muze Pianowereld

December 2017

Shostakovich – Violin Concerto no.1
Gubaidulina – “In tempus praesens”

Simone Lamsma
Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra
James Gaffigan/Reinbert de Leeuw
Challenge Records International

Want List 2017

Fanfare Magazine – Robert Maxham

A reading by Simone Lamsma of Shostakovich’s First Concerto that should set a standard for the next several generations in the way David Oistrakh’s did for the last several.

 

Review Fanfare Magazine – Robert Maxham
For decades, reviewers have been suggesting that this or that violinist (beginning with Perlman) had somehow surpassed Oistrakh’s accomplishment; many listeners will now, I believe, judge that Lamsma finally has. Overwhelming.

 

The opening of the Passacaglia possesses overwhelming, if not crushing, weight in this reading, and Lamsma enters with a subtly nuanced statement over the bass that almost makes Oistrakh’s sound bland by comparison. As she reaches climax after climax, the orchestra growls beneath her with a menace far greater than in Oistrakh’s early Russian or American recordings.

 

For her pairing of striking performances of striking concertos by two generations of Russian composers, Lamsma deserves an especially high commendation.

Robert Maxham - Fanfare Magazine

November/December 2017 issue

Les Siècles
François-Xavier Roth, conductor
Enescu Festival

Saint-Saëns – Violin Concerto no.3

…..No such doubts attended Simone Lamsma’s electrifying account of Saint-Saëns’s Third Violin Concerto, its virtuosic outer movements complemented by the effortless grace of its central Andantino. On this showing, Lamsma’s future is assured……”

Full article

Richard Whitehouse - Classical Source

October 2017

RTÉ Symphony Orchestra
Tung-Chieh Chuang, conductor

Shostakovich – Violin Concerto no.1

Lamsma dishes up a mesmerizing Shostakovich Violin concerto no 1
Dutch violinist Simone Lamsma stole the show with a revelatory account of Shostakovich’s Violin concerto no. 1

…..Lamsma’s stratospheric notes were shatteringly intense as she poured her body and soul into the music…..

Full article

Andrew Larkin – Bachtrack

12 May 2017

Shostakovich – Violin Concerto no.1
Gubaidulina – “In tempus praesens”

Simone Lamsma
Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra
James Gaffigan/Reinbert de Leeuw
Challenge Records International

Review Strings Magazine 
Mary Nemet
BEAUTY IN THE CHAOS
Simone Lamsma navigates Shostakovich’s complex scores with an intensely moving performance.
…..The rich soundscape on this recording reflects Lamsma’s intense, emotionally driven energy…..


Review The Strad

Peter Quantrill
Gripping accounts of virtuoso Russian violin concertos, old and new

 

Review Crescendo Magazine –
Jean-Baptiste Baronian

Interprétation 10
…..Oui, ce serait difficile de le nier, In Tempus Praesens est un des grands monuments du violon moderne, et on ne peut que saluer l’interprétation qu’en donne ici la violoniste hollandaise Simone Lamsma, à juste titre considérée aujourd’hui comme une des plus douées de sa génération (elle est née en 1985). Elle fait littéralement corps avec la sublime musique de Sofia Goubaidulina et en restitue à merveille les moindres vibrations, les nuances les plus subtiles, les plus envoûtantes et les plus secrètes…..
Full article

Review Pizzicato
Uwe Krusch

Both works get exquisite and captivating accounts from the young Dutch violinist Simone Lamsma

 

Review De Volkskrant
Frits van der Waa
★★★★★

 

Review HRAudio
Adrian Quanjer

★★★★★
…..The star of Simone Lamsma has risen with such a remarkable speed that she, only 32 years young, now firmly ranks amongst the top echelon of violinists of our time. This recording proves it beyond any shade of doubt…..
…..This is a deeply moving account which has to be heard to be believed…..
 (Shostakovich)
…..Phenomenal…. (Gubaidulina)

Cd reviews 2017

National Symphony Orchestra
Mark Wigglesworth, conductor

Shostakovich – Violin Concerto no.1

…..a violinist with a rich, throaty tone to draw the singing heart out of Shostakovich’s first violin concerto…..
Full article

Anne Midgette – Washington Post

2 March 2017

San Francisco Symphony Orchestra
James Gaffigan, conductor

Prokofiev – Violin Concerto no.2

Simone Lamsma and James Gaffigan Light It Up at S.F. Symphony

 

The close connection between violinist and conductor made for an electrifying concerto performance

 

…..The Prokofiev performance that resulted from their synergy was extraordinarily lively, and both edgy and lyrical, with Lamsma’s impeccable technique and rich timbre effortlessly translating Prokofiev’s plethora of musical ideas, from the intimacy and sudden manic episodes of the opening Allegro Moderato, through an exceptionally beautiful central Andante assai, to the spectacular ending of the grotesque waltz that is the Allegro finale…..

Full article

Niels Swinkels – San Francisco Classical Voice

24 January 2017

Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
Otto Tausk, conductor

Shostakovich – Violin Concerto no.1

Simone Lamsma’s blistering Shostakovich with the Vancouver Symphony

Full article

Kevin W Ng - Bachtrack

17 January 2017

London Philharmonic Orchestra
Osmo Vänskä, conductor

Britten – Violin Concerto

…..Hers (Lamsma’s) was playing of total conviction….
Full article
David Truslove – Bachtrack

 

….Britten’s Violin Concerto received a truly stunning performance from Simone Lamsma,
who has absorbed the many felicities in this work…..
…..fierce, fearless and flexible…..
Full article
Edward Clark – Classical Source


Review The Times
★★★★★
Geoff Brown – The Times

 

Review Evening Standard
Barry Millington – Evening Standard

October 2016

Norrköping Symphony Orchestra
Christian Kluxen, conductor

Nielsen – Violin Concerto

…..Hennes ton är som tunna strålar som skär sig genom musiken med vass egg. Här finns precision och intelligens i utförandet…..De halsbrytande kadenserna löper fritt men med bottnande tyngd. Lamsma spelar inte för att briljera utan för att berätta!…..
Full article
Folkbladet.se – Anna Sköldh


…..Kvällens höjdpunkt är utan tvivel solisten Simone Lamsma. I Carl Nielsens Violinkonsertfår hon visa upp hela sin begåvning med både teknisk briljans och känslomässigt framförande…..
Full article
Felicia Eriksson – Kultursidan.nu


…..Lamsma lösgjorde en explosiv energi redan från första takten, alltsammans i en mycket kraftfull tolkning. Dubbelgreppen var oklanderligt rena och i de hisnande löpningarna avvek hon aldrig från det dramatiska uttrycket.
Solisten kunde även i säker gestaltning alstra både värme och ljuva stämningsbilder i de mer stillsamma avsnitten och slanka av höjdtonerna på det mest underbara vis. Hennes framförande blev till en mycket positiv glädjechock…..

Full article
Michael Bruze – nt.se

September 2015

Cleveland Orchestra
James Feddeck, conductor

Tchaikovsky – Violin Concerto

…..Lamsma’s approach was delightful in every respect…..

…..The first movement inspired a hearty outburst of applause from the large audience — not the smattering that can seem like a transgression of concert etiquette, but a heartfelt acknowledgement that something special had just happened. Lamsma and Feddeck responded graciously. That feeling of ‘something special’ extended to the “Canzonetta…..

….Lamsma, Feddeck, and the Orchestra ended the piece with the same sense of direction, purpose, and easy virtuosity that characterized their interpretation all along the way…..
Full article

Daniel Hathaway - ClevelandClassical

18 August 2015

Cleveland Orchestra
James Feddeck, conductor

Tchaikovsky – Violin Concerto

…..Out of the first movement, for instance, Lamsma – first heard here last year – crafted a pulse-raising miniature opera of which any diva would have been proud, complete with swooning arias and dazzling technical displays. Similarly, her finale was as feisty and earnest as anyone could ask for, and yet not at all short on lyricism…..

Full article

Zachary Lewis - The Plain Dealer

17 August 2015

Mainly Mozart Festival Orchestra
Michael Francis, conductor

Beethoven – Violin Concerto

…..Dutch violinist Simone Lamsma played her part almost as if she were outside herself. She appeared to be engaged with Beethoven on a level we seldom encounter.

 

Musicians often speak of letting the music come through them, but in this case it was apparent that Beethoven’s music was coming through her in a pure state. This experience was unsullied by ego or an effort to impress. It was Beethoven via Lamsma as opposed to Beethoven a la Lamsma…..
Full article

Garrett Harris - San Diego Reader

22 June 2015

Hallé Orchestra
Markus Stenz, conductor

F.Mendelssohn – Violin Concerto in E minor op.64

…..Dutch violinist Simone Lamsma joined the orchestra for a mature reading of Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor, conceived with great musicality and an unfailingly silky tone…..


…..Lamsma’s superbly executed delicate touch gave light to all the intricacies of her part while maintaining a strong sense of forward momentum…..
Full article

Rohan Shotton - Bachtrack

23 april 2015

Recital with pianist Rohan De Silva

Works by Dvořák, Mendelssohn, Pärt and Schumann

Loving surface as well as depth

…..In Wallace Stevens’ late poem “Final Soliloquy of the Interior Paramour,” the first stanza runs: “Light the first light of evening, as in a room / In which we rest, and for small reason, think / The world imagined is the ultimate good.” As Lamsma’s playing attained special brilliance through the crucible of “Fratres,” in the Schumann the radiance was vividly shared in what, again borrowing from Stevens, felt like “the intensest rendezvous.…

 

…..What a spellbinding experience — worth leaving aside any further words from me and turning to the conclusion of Stevens’ poem:

Out of this same light, out of the central mind,
We make a dwelling in the evening air,
In which being there together is enough.
Full article

Jay Harvey - Jay Harvey Upstage

11 February 2015

Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Han-Na Chang, conductor

E.W.Korngold – Violin Concerto in D major op.35

…..Lamsma, too, fully met expectations, with a splendid performance of the Violin Concerto by Eric Wolfgang Korngold…..

 

…..Lamsma displayed a pure, sweet tone in the first movement, a highly romantic one with a brief cadenza full of double-stops and lots of playing in the instrument’s highest register. (She continued her superb negotiation of the violin’s stratosphere throughout the Concerto.) The second movement, Romance: Andante, contained a brief muted section that was caressing in its beauty. The Allegro Finale, a wonderful, spirited rondo, combined a rustic principal theme with lots of fireworks, all of which Lamsma filled with bounce and fervor….
Full article

Mary Ellyn Hutton - MusicinCincinnati

7 February 2015

Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Han-Na Chang, conductor

E.W.Korngold – Violin Concerto in D major op.35

…..The first half was just as riveting. Erich Korngold’s Violin Concerto in D Major…..

 

…..Violinist Lamsma, 28, delivered an inspired performance of this concerto. Her style seemed ideal for this piece. She played its long, romantic themes with an easy virtuosity and a sweet tone, even when called upon to play in the highest stratosphere. Best of all, she seemed to be having fun, and smiled as she played along with the orchestra. She easily tossed off the fireworks in the finale, a jaunty movie tune, and brought it to an electrifying finish…..
Full article

Janelle Gelfand - Cincinnati Enquirer

6 February 2015

Chicago Winter Chamber Music Festival

With Stephanie Jeong (violin), Yukiko Ogura (viola), Lawrence Neuman (viola),
Brant Taylor (cello), Kenneth Olsen (cello) and Alessio Bax (piano).

F.Mendelssohn – Violin Sonata in F major
J.Brahms – String Sextet no.2 in G major

Lamsma, CSO members make fine team at Winter Chamber Music Festival

 

…..Lamsma was heard in Mendelssohn’s Sonata for Violin and Piano in F Major, joined by Italian-born pianist Alessio Bax. The opening dotted-rhythm theme sprung buoyantly from Bax’s hands, passed seamlessly to Lamsma, and throughout the movement the duo created moods alternately noble and anxious. Here was a classic example of Mendelssohn creating a sonic universe from seemingly simple material, and the performance benefited from Lamsma’s intelligent highlighting of important harmonic junctures. The sonata’s second movement is an intimate song without words, which Lamsma presented with architectural phrasing, creating lines flowing and delicate. The pair combined in the last movement to create a playful atmosphere evocative of the finale of the composer’s Violin Concerto. Throughout Bax was a sensitive accompanist, though impressively bravura when called to be, and Lamsma’s facile technique and welcoming stage presence imbued the music with elegant flair.

 

The evening’s main fare was the String Sextet No. 2 of Johannes Brahms, for which Lamsma was joined by the three performers from the Beethoven, along with CSO members Lawrence Neuman (viola) and Kenneth Olsen (cello). Throughout the complex first movement the ensemble’s sound was lush, expansive, and never forced (as it can be in works with such temptingly juicy melodic material), and the group maintained exemplary balance throughout. The somewhat exotic second movement with ubiquitous hemiolas sounded appropriately off-kilter, and its closing presto was startlingly thrilling. Each of the episodic variations of the Adagio was presented in a well thought-out character—creeping, suspended octave lines between Lamsma and Ogura sounded chilling, a fast contrapuntal variation bubbled with nervous effervescence, and the movement’s pastoral close was dignified and gracious. The finale was executed with warmth, magnanimity, and virtuosic aplomb from all involved.
Full article

Tim Sawyier - Chicago Classical Review

19 January 2015

Bournemouth Symphony
Rory MacDonald, conductor

A.Dvořák – Violin Concerto in A minor op.53

Divine Dvořák and Sibelius from the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra

 

…..Lamsma’s entry was both crisp and lyrical with a dramatic flourish at the end of her phrases in the upper registers. These playing qualities very much set the scene for what was to be a lively, impassioned and virtuosic performance…..
Full article

Phil Smith - Bachtrack

22 November 2014

St Paul Chamber Orchestra
Hans Graf, conductor

S.Prokofiev – Violin Concerto no.2 in G minor op.63

SPCO and violinist Lamsma produce passionate Prokofiev

 

…..Dutch violinist Simone Lamsma delivered an involving interpretation of Prokofiev’s Second Violin Concerto with the SPCO, lending it haunting lyricism and folksy fury, but also finding an oasis of calm at its center…..
Full article

Rob Hubbard - Pioneer Press

14 November 2014

Oregon Symphony
Michael Francis, conductor

E.W.Korngold – Violin Concerto in D major op.35

Lamsma stunning in Korngold’s Violin Concerto with the Oregon Symphony and guest conductor Francis

 

…..The highlight of the evening, however, belonged to Dutch violinist Simone Lamsma, who gave a breathtakingly beautiful performance of Erich Korngold’s Violin Concerto….. Lamsma opened the piece with a warm and inviting tone that swept up the audience into a lush, uplifting terrain. She was equally adept at creating a sweet sound in the slower second movement and brought out the emotional content of the subdued passages. For the third movement, her playing was carefree yet totally spot on as she whipped through the wickedly difficult prestissimo sections, including some deft transitions that featured whispery high phrases…..
Full article

James Bash - Northwest Reverb

14 October 2014

Oregon Symphony
Michael Francis, conductor

E.W.Korngold – Violin Concerto in D major op.35

…..she captured the music’s intense lyricism and met its considerable technical demands with the kind of energy that kept you on the edge of your seat…..
Full article

James McQuillen - The Oregonian

12 October 2014

Noord Nederlands Orkest
Stefan Asbury, conductor

Beethoven – Violin Concerto in D major op.61

Lamsma overtuigt en overrompelt

 

…..En toen kwam na de pauze violiste Simone Lamsma met het vioolconcert van Beethoven. Volledig overrompelend was deze uitvoering. Zelf heb ik vaak bij soloconcerten nog een stiekeme voorkeur voor het orkest ten opzichte van het solo-instrument, maar hier werd in een zorgvuldige balans met het orkest een vioolpartij gespeeld op een manier die je als luisteraar aan je stoel kluisterde. Het orkest kreeg genoeg ruimte, er ware fraaie solomomenten, zoals enkele heel mooie van de fagot, maar het was toch Lamsma die met een virtuositeit die rotsvast gebaseerd was op muzikaliteit, de prachtige muziek van Beethoven tot leven wekte: loepzuiver, met een glasheldere structuur en fraai volgehouden muzikale lijnen. Honderd procent overtuigend en, ik zei het al, overrompelend. Een toegift voor het enthousiaste publiek kon in haar geboorteplaats niet uitblijven: Lamsma speelt Ysaÿe….

Dingeman van Wijnen - Friesch Dagblad

27 September 2014

Noord Nederlands Orkest
Stefan Asbury, conductor

Beethoven – Violin Concerto in D major op.61

Geen effectbejag maar intense beleving

 

…..Noot voor noot was het te volgen. Geen passage was troebel…..

 

…..De violiste uit Burgum, die zich bij dit orkest al eerder bewees, weet waar het om draait bij klankvorming. Lamsma is top, houdt zich verre van effectbejag en goedkoop scoren en kiest voor een intense beleving die zowel zij als het publiek ondergaat. Muisstil was de zaal, benieuwd hoe sommige passages uit dit overbekende concert onder haar strijkstok vandaan zouden komen…..

Rudolf Nammensma - Dagblad van het Noorden

27 September 2014

HET Symfonieorkest
Jan Willem de Vriend, conductor

M.Bruch – Violin Concerto No.1 in G minor op.26

Geen effectbejag maar intense beleving

 

…..het Vioolconcert van Bruch, waarin Simone Lamsma met haar platinablonde lange haren alweer zo’n noordelijk plaatje maakt. En daar blijft natuurlijk het niet bij, want ook Simone’s toon klinkt als buigzaam platina, ononderbroken glanzend tot in het fragielste legato. Ze combineert haar onberispelijke techniek met beheerste emotie. Intussen blijven zij en het orkest elkaar alert aanvullen, in een soepel en evenwichtig samenspel. Een toegift van La Lamsma is dan ook onontkoombaar…..
Full article

Margaretha Coornstra - De Stentor

19 September 2014

Oklahoma City Philharmonic
Joel Levine, conductor

E.Lalo – Symphonie Espagnole

…..This was a performance that was assertive without ever sounding aggressive. In the central intermezzo, a movement that was also nicely rhythmic, she summoned an earthy sound. That musical persuasiveness continued into the lovely andante and then into the finale, with a jaunty approach from the soloist matched by terrific support from the orchestra. Lamsma’s combination of insouciance and urgency was especially appealing, and the audience responded with a lengthy ovation at the conclusion…..

Rick Rogers - The Oklahoman

19 September 2014

New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
Edo de Waart, conductor

Mozart – Violin Concerto no.4

…..Lamsma captured the youthfulness of Mozart’s music with an intensity and sharpness which showed her as a fine soloist…..
…..Watching Lamsma I didn’t feel I was watching a musician needing to prove their Mozartian virtuosic credentials. Instead, I found a relaxed performer whose natural and perceptive approach captured the lyricism of the upper-stringed sections and brought depth and warmth to the slower movements. What I enjoyed most about this performance, aside from the welcome distraction of Lamsma’s red dress, was the relationship between soloist and orchestra. It was a delight to listen to the delicate interplay between the two, and the orchestra proved worthy support for the violinist as she decorated the main themes of the concerto…..
Full article

Amber Kelly - libel.co.nz

11 August 2014

Orchestre National de Belgique
Andrey Boreyko, conductor

Beethoven – Violin Concerto in D major op.61

…..Keer op keer zijn haar (Simone Lamsma’s) interpretaties een toonbeeld van muzikale eerlijkheid en superieure smaak. Lamsma heeft een prachtige muzikale persoonlijkheid die zich manifesteert alsof er geen eeuwen liggen tussen het nu van de uitvoering en het toen van de compositiedatum van de muziek die ze speelt..

Roeland Hazendonk - Het Parool

7 July 2014

Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Jaap van Zweden, conductor

B.Britten – Violin Concerto op.15

…..absolutely stunning performance by the excellent Dutch violinist Simone Lamsma…..

 

…..Her tone remained piercingly beautiful even as she tore through the virtuosic gymnastics of the spiky central Vivace. But it was in the troubled Passacaglia finale where her deep feeling for the anxieties that lie beyond the notes sealed her success….

 

…..The audience called Lamsma back for repeated solo bows, clearly expecting more. And more she gave them – the serene Largo from J.S. Bach’s Solo Sonata No. 3 (BWV 1005). Like the Britten, it was beautifully and thoughtfully played…..
Full article

John von Rhein - Chicago Tribune

6 June 2014

Cleveland Orchestra
Vladimir Jurowski, conductor

B.Britten – Violin Concerto op.15

…..Simone Lamsma’s appearance with the orchestra was remarkable on several counts…..

 

…..she played the Britten with consummate skill and complete authority, obviously winning many converts to a piece that can be difficult to wrap your ears around…..

 

…..Lamsma met all of Britten’s challenges superbly and put the concerto across with a deep sense of commitment…..
Full article

Daniel Hathaway - ClevelandClassical.com

3 June 2014

Cleveland Orchestra
Vladimir Jurowski, conductor

Britten Violin Concerto op.35

Cleveland Orchestra sees two brilliant debuts on Severance Hall season finale

 

…..Even so, it was violinist Simone Lamsma, playing Britten, who must be said to have captured the spotlight…..

 

…..So polished, expressive and intense was her performance…..

 

…..Considerable though they were, the score’s technical hurdles barely seemed to faze Lamsma. Rather, she cleared them easily by focusing on the high-running emotions behind them, channeling their power to flood the listener with spectral, blazing sound…..

 

…..May Lamsma and the Britten be heard here again…..
Full article

Zachary Lewis - www.cleveland.com

30 May 2014

Amsterdam Sinfonietta
Slagwerk Den Haag

L.Bernstein – Serenade

Lamsma geeft fantastische uitvoering extra dimensie

 

…..Leonard Bernstein boog Bartok naar zijn eigen idioom in zijn geïnspireerde Serenade voor viool, harp, slagwerk en strijkers. Sinfonietta kan zulke effectieve speelmuzieke fantastisch spelen en deed dat ook gisteravond, maar de uitvoering kreeg een extra dimensie dankzij de solo van de geweldige jong violiste Simone Lamsma. Niet vaak hoor je iemand zo onspectaculair mooi, puur leven in noten blazen…..

Het Parool

23 May 2014

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Andrès Orozco-Estrada, conductor

D.Shostakovich – Violin Concerto no.1 in A minor op.77

…..Simone Lamsma was soloist…..and brought an impassioned outpouring of line and texture to the music, Orozco-Strada and the orchestra collaborating with measured sonority. This was a committed reading….. Lamsma’s Bach encore was calming balm in a disturbing evening…..

Christopher Morley - Birmingham Post

9 May 2014

Hong Kong Philharmonic
Jaap van Zweden, conductor

Beethoven – Violin Concerto

Concert 14 March 2014
Beijing – National Centre for the Performing Arts

“The most beautiful Beethoven’s Violin Concerto on the Beijing stage in recent years.” 

Beijing China Web (jinghua.cn)

25 March 2014

San Francisco Symphony
Jaap van Zweden, conductor

J.Sibelius – Violin Concerto in D minor op.47

Jaap Van Zweden and Simone Lamsma Stun in SF Symphony Debuts

…..I am almost at a loss to describe the excitement I experienced Friday evening at the San Francisco Symphony.
…..The performance was flawless and moving…..

Full article

Steven Kruger - New York Arts

16 February 2014

San Francisco Symphony
Jaap van Zweden, conductor

J.Sibelius – Violin Concerto in D minor op.47

Davies Symphony Hall hosts two highly impressive debut performances

 

…..the result was nothing less than stunning…..

 

…..by the time they had both come to the coda of the final movement, there was an edge-of-the-seat excitement that pervaded the execution, no matter how familiar any listener may have been with the score…..

Stephen Smoliar - San Francisco Examiner

13 February 2014

Hallé Orchestra
Nikolaj Znaider, conductor

P.I.Tchaikovsky – Violin Concerto in D op.35

Mature and Persuasive Playing from Simone Lamsma

 

…..There was nothing routine about Lamsma’s mature and persuasive approach to the Concerto which drew the listener in, astutely providing significant drama marked by a broad range of tone and dynamic. Especially effective was Lamsma’s impassioned playing of the brooding central movement Canzonetta: Andante. At times it felt as if her ‘ex Braga’ Stradivarius was weeping such was the intensity of emotion casting a spell that not even an errant sneezer could break…..
Full article

Michael Cookson - Seen and Heard International

14 January 2014

Hallé Orchestra
Nikolaj Znaider, conductor

P.I.Tchaikovsky – Violin Concerto in D op.35

Rising star is simply sensational

 

…..Last night she made her debut with the Halle in its Opus One series – and left the audience in no doubt why she is so highly admired.
The 28-year-old vistuoso gave a breathtaking rendition of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto, holding eager listeners spellbound with a sensational, energy-charged performance.
She plays with great maturity, her performance boosted by the sympathetic accompaniment of an orchestra on top form.

Marina Berry - Oldham Chronicle

14 January 2014

Hallé Orchestra
Nikolaj Znaider, conductor

P.I.Tchaikovsky – Violin Concerto in D op.35

…..Capriccio Italien was followed by my highlight of the evening, a brilliant recital of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto. This was played to perfection by the superb young soloist Simone Lamsma…..

 

…..There were times during Lamsma’s playing that I was absolutely transfixed, and it was easy to forget that the orchestra and audience were present, such was the stark intensity that she played with during the cadenzas……

 

…..The richly deserved and thunderous applause that followed the piece drew Lamsma back for an encore, during which she performed a truly beautiful largo from Bach’s third violin suite. This had the audience utterly spellbound and seemed like it left a few, in both audience and orchestra, with moist eyes….

Ben Hayes - Review website Hallé Orchestra

16 January 2014

Philharmonie ZuidNederland
Kynan Johns, conductor

C.Saint-Saëns – Havanaise op.83
C.Saint-Saëns – Introduction et Rondo Capriccioso op.28

Vioolvuurwerk bij Philharmonie

 

…..Trekpleister van het concert was de violiste Simone Lamsma, die een virtuoos vuurwerk afstak in de twee klapstukken van Saint-Saëns. Mooi, dat Nederland in het rijke bezit is van een aantal viooltalenten van wereldklasse. Wat een bijzonder bezeten voordracht met een sublieme toongeving en timing en wat een fantasierijke verhaaltrant. Het samenspel met het orkest verliep voortreffelijk…..

Cornélie Hoedervanger - Eindhovens Dagblad

17 December 2013

St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
Hannu Lintu, conductor

S.Prokofiev – Violin Concerto no.2 in G minor op.63

…..Finnish conductor Hannu Lintu and Dutch violinist Simone Lamsma made triumphant returns to Powell Hall Friday night…..

 

…..She and Mr. Lintu were clearly in close communication with each other throughout the concerto, as was obvious in the quality of the performance…..
Full article

Chuck Lavazzi - KDHX

19 October 2013

St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
Hannu Lintu, conductor

S.Prokofiev – Violin Concerto no.2 in G minor op.63

…..The masterful Finnish conductor Hannu Lintu led; the superb young Dutch violinist Simone Lamsma was the soloist……
Full article

Sarah Bryan Miller - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

19 October 2013

hr-Sinfonieorchester Frankurt
Iliych Rivas, conductor

J.Brahms – Violin Concerto in D major op.77

Ein beglückender Konzertabend

 

Das HR-Sinfonieorchester und die Violinistin Simone Lamsma begeisterten in der Stadthalle

 

Simone Lamsma beherrscht einen großartigen, kraftvollen Geigenklang, das Instrument ist in allen Lagen gleich präsent. Damit setzte sie sich mühelos über das große Orchester. Sie spielte engagiert zupackend, mit viel Sinn für große Linien, immer im Kontakt mit Dirigent und den Musikern.

Nach dem groß angelegten und leidenschaftlich interpretierten ersten Satz mit einer brillanten Kadenz war das Publikum so begeistert, dass spontan applaudiert wurde. Wunderschön war dann im langsamen zweiten Satz die Zwiesprache zwischen der beginnenden Oboe und der Sologeige. Nach dem kompakten schnellen Schlusssatz wollten die Hörer gar nicht mehr aufhören zu klatschen, sodass Lamsma eine Zugabe brachte.
Full article

Anneke Jung - Frankfurter Neue Presse Neu-Isenburger Neue Presse

19 October 2013

hr-Sinfonieorchester Frankurt
Iliych Rivas, conductor

J.Brahms – Violin Concerto in D major op.77

Simone Lamsma lieferte eine nicht nur virtuose, sondern ausgesprochen seelenvolle Interpretation und versäumte es nicht, die zuweilen recht kauzige Urwüchsigkeit von Brahms auszuloten.
Full article

Gerhart Matthias - Frankfurter Neue Presse

6 May 2013

Cininnati Symphony Orchestra
Carlos Kalmar, conductor

B.Britten – Violin Concerto op.15

The concert’s other highlight was a sensational, 27-year-old Dutch violinist named Simone Lamsma, who gave the most exciting performance of Benjamin Britten’s Violin Concerto in memory.

 

She’s not only a technical wizard, but plays with the kind of artistry and maturity that makes one wonder if she started playing before she was born.

 

The violinist projected a ravishing sound on her Stradivarius, and was wonderfully communicative through its varied moods. Impossibly high harmonics, glissandos and technical fireworks were all delivered with surgical precision. Yet, there was also remarkable depth to her playing. The final passacaglia was deeply felt and played with haunting beauty.

Janelle Gelfand - Cincinnati Enquirer

27 April 2013

Cininnati Symphony Orchestra
Carlos Kalmar, conductor

B.Britten – Violin Concerto op.15

Lamsma, Kalmar Inspire with the CSO

 

A spectacular debut….

 

…..a performance that touched as well as amazed…..

Mary Ellyn Hutton - Musicincininnati.com

27 April 2013

BBC Symphony Orchestra
Martyn Brabbins, conductor

L.van Beethoven – Violin Concerto D major op.61

★★★★★

The poise and muscular style of the young Dutch soloist, Simone Lamsma, was exactly to my taste, and evidently to the orchestra’s, too.

Guy Dammann - The Guardian

21 April 2013

BBC Symphony Orchestra
Martyn Brabbins, conductor

L.van Beethoven – Violin Concerto D major op.61

 “…she’s clearly a keen and responsive soloist: listening to her orchestra and hugely supportive conductor, colouring her trills to the other players’ melodic line and finally enjoying herself in an irresistibly dancing finale, sealed by a terrific Kreisler cadenza. While so many violinists do their own thing and to hell with the rest of the set-up, Lansma’s mix of high ardour and collegial spirit is something to be treasured: she’ll be very welcome back.”

David Nice - The Arts Desk

20 April 2013

BBC Symphony Orchestra
Martyn Brabbins, conductor

L.van Beethoven – Violin Concerto D major op.61

With Martyn Brabbins and the BBCSO steadfast in support, this was a memorable account which confirmed Lamsma (a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music in London) as a violinist of whom much can be expected.

Richard Whitehouse - www.classicalsource.com

19 April 2013

Noord Nederlands Orkest
Stefan Asbury, conductor

M.Bruch – Violin Concerto in G minor op.26

Violiste Lamsma gaat voor klasse

 

Met de gewaagde trage vioolsolo in de openingsmaten leek ze al aan te geven dat er wat bijzonders te gebeuren stond. Asbury en de zijnen aten als het ware uit haar hand

 

Met haar Stradivarius koos zij voor verdieping, voor het laten oplichten van verborgen elementen in het notenparcours. Alsof ze met een zaklantaarn door de partituur ging.

 

Lamsma koost niet voor het effect en de platte show….. Zij ging voor eigenheid en klasse.

Rudolf Nammensma - Leeuwarder Courant

1 February 2013

Noord Nederlands Orkest
Stefan Asbury, conductor

M.Bruch – Violin Concerto in G minor op.26

Lamsma speelt intens doorleefd

 

Direct bij de inzet van de korte cadens waarmee deze solopartij begint, was er de klik met het publiek.

 

Na een bewogen lyrisch langzaam deel werd het stoere en enigszins Hongaars getinte slotdeel met een geweldige power en virtuositeit neergezet. Het minuten durende applaus was veelzeggend.

Gerben Bergstra - Friesch Dagblad

1 February 2013

Het Brabants Orkest
Christoph Poppen, conductor

P.I.Tchaikovsky – Violin Concerto in D Major op.35

Violiste laat bekend vioolconcert als nieuw klinken

 

Simone Lamsma imponeert met interactie die ze uitlokt met het orkest

 

Wat een talent, wat een techniek, wat een toon en, misschien nog wel het belangrijkste, wat een gepassioneerde persoonlijkheid liet ze horen en zien in het vioolconcert van Tsjaikovski.

Marjolijn Sengers - Eindhovens Dagblad

7 December 2012

Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira
Roberto Minczuk, conductor

E.W.Korngold – Violin Concerto in D major op.35

Uma exuberante violinista

 

…..No caso da holandesa Simone Lamsma, o violino torna-se integrante do seu corpo e da sua mente…..

 

…..Ela é música pura, temos a certeza de que nasceu para brilhar…..

 

English translation:

In the case of Dutch Simone Lamsma, the violin becomes a part of her body and her mind. The Violin Concerto in D major op. 35 by Korngold is a piece where film music becomes evident, as the composer made compositions for film. Lamsma’s fantastic interpretation conveyed this very much. The artist, resembling a sylph, opened the work with a contagious drive, making clear what a great violinist she is through her perfect pitch level, a beautiful sonority, heavenly high notes and a perfect technique. She has a beautiful bowing arm and this along with the overall virtuosity displayed in the third movement of the concerto shows she is pure music. We are sure that she was born to shine

Maria Luiza Nobre - Jornal do Brasil

23 October 2012

Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira
Roberto Minczuk, conductor

E.W.Korngold – Violin Concerto in D major op.35

English translation:

The voluminous blond curls of the Dutch Soloist Simone Lamsma increased the brightness of the hall as much as the notes of her instrument. She played the Violin Concerto in D major, op. 35 by Austrian composer […] Erich Korngold perfectly. Like the sun in the evening, enigmatic and melancholic, the music invaded the ears of the audience like a wave of irresistible lyricism. The large and expressive gestures of the irreproachable Soloist shined in front of the magnificent orchestra […], which contributed to the beauty of the piece.

Fabiano Gonçalves - Movimento

21 October 2012

London Philharmonic Orchestra
Fabien Gabel, conductor

Chausson – Poème

Chausson’s Poème pour violon, despite being something of an unknown quantity from a composer in the shadow of the more famous Impressionist masters, exceeded expectations. Executed beautifully by Dutch violinist Simone Lamsma, the work is a decadent, yearning story of forbidden love, and was emotive and transfixing.

Emma Cooper - Movimento

September 2012

Noord Nederlands Orkest
Otto Tausk, conductor

J.Brahms – Violin Concerto in D major op.77

Simone Lamsma toe aan supportersbus

 

Wat een flair spreidde ze tentoon, Wat een beheersing en vooral wat een inzicht. Voordeel was dat ze op een lijn zat met dirigent Otto Tausk en dat betekende: geen hol effectbejag en aanstellerige bravourpassages, maar een logisch verloop, waarin het een leek voort te komen uit het ander. Perfect getimed, met soms een vertederende mildheid, het resultaat van pakkende pianissimi, afgewisseld met een welhaast dwingende meeslependheid.

Rudolf Nammensma - Leeuwarder Courant

March 2012

Noord Nederlands Orkest
Otto Tausk, conductor

J.Brahms – Violin Concerto in D major op.77

Lamsma met Brahms opnieuw een belevenis

 

…..een constant zingende toon die net zo rank was als haar slanke verschijning en vooral in het middendeel prachtig gerealiseerd op haar Stradivarius uit 1718…..

S. van Ek - Friesch Dagblad

March 2012

Utah Symphony Orchestra
Thierry Fischer, conductor

F.Mendelssohn – Violin Concerto in E minor op.64

Violin soloist makes her mark with Mendelssohn

 

…..Lamsma, 26, possesses a distinct voice, marked by glittering high notes (and harmonics to die for)…..

 

…..And when orchestra and soloist reached the lively finale, the crowd was ready to follow on whichever rough-and-tumble adventure she pursued…..

Catherine Reese Newton - The Salt Lake Tribune

10 February 2012

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Kirill Karabits, conductor

Beethoven – Violin Concerto in D major op.61

…..This limbered us up aurally for a terrific account of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto with Simone Lamsma as the sensational and glamorous soloist. Powerful in control, the young Dutch violinist drew silvery meticulousness and burnished tone out of the Stradivarius she has on loan (the “ex-Chanot-Chardon”, 1718), but it was her sense of line and phrase that held her audience spellbound. The BSO were alert and sensitive in support, with a lovely bassoon solo in the slow movement…..

Fiona Maddocks - The Guardian / The Observer

22 January 2012

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Kirill Karabits, conductor

L.v.Beethoven – Violin Concerto in D major op.61

★★★★★

 

…..Simone Lamsma immersed us in the abundant felicities of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto; a performance that expressed all the beauty of line and tone in every note…..

 

…..The Larghetto showed sensitivity to the quiescent romance; a mesmerising account…..

Mike Marsh - Bournemouth / Daily Echo

19 January 2012

Koninklijk Concertgebouw Orkest
Cornelius Meister, conductor

W.Walton – Violin Concerto

STRALEND DEBUUT SIMONE LAMSMA

 

…..Ook de violiste Simone Lamsma trad voor het eerst op met het orkest. Het werd vooral háár avond…..

 

…..Technisch gaat geen zee haar te hoog, dit vioolspel klonk moeiteloos onberispelijk. Prachtig ook hoe haar viooltoon in lyrische passages boven het orkest zweefde. Hier stond een violiste die zich de noten volledig eigen had gemaakt…..

Thiemo Wind - De Telegraaf

17 January 2012

Het Gelders Orkest
Damian Iorio, conductor

K.A.Hartmann – Concerto Funèbre

Simone Lamsma fenomenaal in concerto funèbre

 

…..Op het scherp van de snede begeleid door HGO leverde Simone Lamsma een fenomenale solistische prestatie. Technisch razend knap, toverend met nuances, subliem in de hoge tonen, überhaupt schitterend van toon, fel en fijnzinnig waar nodig, raakte ze deze emotionele getuigenismuziek in de kern…..

Henk Slik - De Stentor

3 December 2011

The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
Dima Slobodeniouk, conductor

M.Lindberg – Violin Concerto

Violinist deftly reflects new concerto’s romance

 

…..Kuusisto, ailing, was replaced by the splendid Dutch violinist Simone Lamsma, who first essayed the Lindberg a year ago and seemed thoroughly inside it Friday…..

Larry Fuchsberg - STAR TRIBUNE

18 September 2011

The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
Dima Slobodeniouk, conductor

M.Lindberg – Violin Concerto

SPCO in fine form for Finns

 

…..Lindberg’s Violin Concerto, which was given an arresting reading by Dutch violinist Simone Lamsma. Making her Twin Cities debut, this international buzz artist was quite an impressive pinch hitter, bringing out all of the work’s haunting hum and anxious tones…..

Rob Hubbard - TwinCities.com / Pioneer Press

16 September 2011

Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
Marek Janowski, conductor

D.Shostakovich – Violin Concerto no.1

Publiek juicht voor Simone Lamsma

 

Simone Lamsma bewees haar wereldklasse

 

…..Goddelijk gestreken cantilenen gaven de langzame delen een magische glans…..

 

…..Even subliem was Lamsma’s toegift, een Sarabande van Bach. Technisch gaaf, perfect van timing, intens muzikaal…..

Thiemo Wind - De Telegraaf

15 July 2011

Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
Marek Janowski, conductor

D.Shostakovich – Violin Concerto no.1

LAMSMA KRUIPT IN DE MUZIEK, WÓRDT SJOSTAKOVITSJ

 

…..Simone Lamsma is kwaliteit, met een hoofdletter…..

 

…..En zo laat ze ons de onderhuidse angsten voelen die Sjostakovitsj in muziek van zich af probeerde te schrijven, de waanzin van de tijd, de wrede absurditeit van het leven onder Stalin. Magistraal. En dan als toegift – het publiek bleef maar applaudisseren – nog een Sarabande spelen uit de Tweede Partita van Bach. Waarmee ze pas begon toen de zaal weer volledig stil was. Meesterlijk…..

Richard Stuivenberg - Alles over Kunst

14 July 2011

St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
Jaap van Zweden, conductor

D.Shostakovich – Violin Concerto no.1

Young violinist delivers a stellar performance

 

…..But that was just for starters. With exquisite judgment shaping every delicate phrase, she gave the opening movement the exact mood and atmosphere its “Nocturne” subtitle suggests. The cadenza had more nuances of expression than most recordings, and she always applied the perfect touch of emotional momentum to a piece that can become static and meandering in the wrong hands.

 

When she finished, the audience was on its feet, with lots of foot stomping, clapping and bow waving on stage, which was good for four curtain calls. Plus, we got an encore, the quiet, meditative “Sarabande” from Bach’s D minor Partita, very reminiscent in its own way of parts of the Shostakovich. It was delivered with the same gracious elegance that characterized her stage presence, yet another reminder that we were in the presence of a major talent whose budding career already appears to be distinguished…..

John Huxhold -St. Louis Post-Dispatch and STLtoday

13 March 2011

St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
Jaap van Zweden, conductor

D.Shostakovich – Violin Concerto no.1

Demonic Shostakovich and lavish Rachmaninov

 

…..a stunning performance by soloist Simone Lamsma…..

Chuck Lavazzi - www.kdhx.org

12 March 2011

Noord Nederlands Orkest
Stefan Asbury, conductor

Tchaikovsky – Violin Concerto

Lamsma weet ’t publiek te raken

 

…..Met het strijken van de eerste tonen op haar viool viel de zaal van De Lawei stil en zat het publiek ademloos te luisteren. Dat zij meteen het publiek zo weet te raken komt niet alleen door de prachtige Stradivariusviool uit 1718, maar vooral door de intens doorleefde wijze waarop zij erop speelt. Ze musiceert met haar hele wezen…..

Gerben Bergstra - Friesch Dagblad

31 January 2011

Noord Nederlands Orkest
Stefan Asbury, conductor

Tchaikovsky – Violin Concerto

Simone Lamsma: muziek in haar lijf

 

…..De wisselwerking tussen haar en het orkest was klasse, haar spel weergaloos…..

 

…..Of het nog beter kon, vroeg je je al niet meer af. Dit is de top.

Rudolf Nammensma - Leeuwarder Courant

29 January 2011

Noord Nederlands Orkest
Stefan Asbury, conductor

Tchaikovsky – Violin Concerto

De ervaring van grote zuiverheid

 

…..Het was de ervaring van grote zuiverheid van gevoel, in combinatie met prachtige timing, technische precisie en muzikale overgave…..

Minke Muilwijk - Dagblad van het Noorden

29 January 2011

Recital with Valentina Lisitsa

Rio de Janeiro, Sala Cecília Meireles

Maturity at 25

 

…..Last Sunday at the Sala Cecilia Meireles, the young Dutch violinist Simone Lamsma gave one of those concerts that mark a season and reconcile the music lover with the possibility of transcendence.

 

At 25, she not only has the technical expertise that can be expected of a professional with over ten years of activity on the international circuit, but displays an equally-elevated musical maturity that surprises even more…..

Clóvis Marques - Opinião e Notícia

19 April 2010

Concert with Fanfare Joost Wiersma

Pure magie in ‘showpiece’ Lamsma

 

…..dit was pure magie. Ademloos werd er door het publiek geluisterd dat vervolgens uitbarstte in een uitzinnig applaus…..

S. van Ek - Friesch Dagblad

22 March 2010

Netherlands Radio Philharmonic
Jaap van Zweden, conductor

Britten – Violin Concerto

Soliste Simone Lamsma oprecht en technisch verbluffend in Brittens vioolconcert.

 

In schroeiende tonen vertaalde ze de pijn van Benjamin Britten om de dreigende oorlog. Zijn Vioolconcert vraagt om een groot en oprecht inlevingsvermogen. Dat heeft Lamsma in huis.

 

Na haar toegift, de Derde solosonate van Eugène Ysaÿe, barstte het publiek terecht uit in een overweldigend ‘bravo’.

Bela Luttmer - De Volkskrant

9 March 2010

Netherlands Radio Philharmonic
Jaap van Zweden, conductor

Britten – Violin Concerto

Zuchtjes slakende viool naar hemelse hoogten

 

In het slotdeel begon de zuchtjes slakende viool haast lichaamloos, om ten slotte intens naar hemelse hoogten op te stijgen. Het terecht stormachtige applaus nodigde Lamsma uit tot een toegift: de Derde sonate van Ysaÿe, al even geconcentreerd en in één beweging neergezet.

Anthony Fiumara - Trouw

8 March 2010

Dallas Symphony Orchestra
Jaap van Zweden, conductor

Britten – Violin Concerto op.15

Consummate Performance of Neglected Masterpiece!

 

Lamsma’s rendering of the Britten concerto was beyond impressive. Her technical and intellectual control of the piece convinced me that Opus. 15 is a neglected masterpiece. She soared into the top register of her instrument with total assurance and tossed off the difficult left-hand pizzicati with perfect panache. Such rock-solid playing enabled one to savor the musical argument, and it was profoundly satisfying.

Paul E.Robinson - WWW.SCENA.ORG

26 February 2010

Dallas Symphony Orchestra
Jaap van Zweden, conductor

Britten – Violin Concerto op.35

Serious program, brilliantly performed

 

…..Dutch violinist Simone Lamsma was dazzling and Jaap van Zweden continued his excellence as conductor in Thursday’s DSO performance…..

Scott Cantrell - DALLAS MORNING NEWS

20 February 2010

Dallas Symphony Orchestra
Jaap van Zweden, conductor

Britten – Violin Concerto op.35

…..convincingly devoted performance by Lamsma, van Zweden, and the orchestra…..

Wayne Lee Gay - Frontrow.dmagazine.com

19 February 2010

LOUIS SPOHR
Violinkonzerte Nr. 6, 8, 11

Simone Lamsma, Sinfonia Finlandia Jyväskylä, Patrick Gallois
Naxos 8.57 0528
(70 Min., 4/2007)
1 CD

…..Die junge Holländerin Simone Lamsma bringt im Grunde alles mit, um diese Ausgrabung wieder in jenem Glanz erstrahlen zu lassen, die einst Spohrs Zeitgenossen hingerissen haben muss. Ihre makellose Virtuosität ist klassisch-diszipliniert, ihr Spiel hat frechen Biss und Eleganz, ist athletisch, frisch, nie verhärtet oder angestrengt, es ist – um ein Bild der Konfektindustrie zu entlehnen – außen knackig und innen weich…..

 

Raoul Mörchen, 09.01.2010
www.rondomagazin.de
Nr. 609 / 09. – 15.01.2010

RONDO • KLASSIK • CD • REZENSIONEN

9 january 2010

Louis Spohr: Violin Concertos 6, 8 and 11

Simone Lamsma, Sinfonia Finlandia Jyvaskyla. Naxos CD

In BBC Radio 3 programme ‘CD Review’ with Andrew McGregor, Simone Lamsma’s disc with Louis Spohr’s Violin Concertos was “one of the Building a Library recommendations”.

Among the ‘top 3 Louis Spohr picks’ was Spohr’s Violin Concertos: “…..beautifully played, hard to think of it being better played than by Simone Lamsma…..

CD Review: with Andrew McGregor;
including Louis Spohr: Anniversary round-up.

Broadcast on: BBC Radio 3, 9:00am Saturday 28th November 2009
Duration: 195 minutes
Available until: 12:17pm Saturday 5th December 2009
Categories: Music, Classical

BBC Radio 3 – ‘CD Review’

28 November 2009 broadcast

Sinfonia Rotterdam
Conrad van Alphen, conductor

Mozart – Violin Concerto No.5

Violiste Simone Lamsma raakt het Leeuwarder publiek

 

…..Vrijdagavond raakte Lamsma in De Harmonie in Leeuwarden het publiek met een magnifieke vertolking van Mozarts Vijfde Vioolconcert samen met Sinfonia Rotterdam…..

 

…..Op sublieme wijze liet zij horen speeltechniek te kunnen combineren met muzikaliteit en inlevingsvermogen. Vanaf haar eerste inzet tot aan het slot nam ze het publiek mee dat stil en geboeid zat te luisteren…..

 

…..De uitvoering was een absoluut hoogtepunt in dit concert…..

Gerben Bergstra - Friesch Dagblad

23 november 2009

Sinfonia Rotterdam
Conrad van Alphen, conductor

Mozart – Violin Concerto No.5

Simone Lamsma een met orkest

 

…..Lamsma gaf leiding aan de muziek en musiceerde met het orkest zoals men zelden hoort…..

Ingrid Metz - Leeuwarder Courant

21 november 2009

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Yan Pascal Tortelier, conductor

Shostakovich – Violin Concerto No.1

Evening of excitement and beauty
★★★★★

 

SIMONE Lamsma took what might seem a bold step in presenting Shostakovich’s pithy Violin Concerto No 1 as her debut with the BSO. However the long-breathed, sombre Nocturne won enormous respect for her confident, intellectual sobriety.

 

The Scherzo’s slashing strokes glinted against the wind ensembles mellifluous playing, the composers DSCH monogram adding to the rhythmic energy.

 

Lamsma’s intensely poignant Passacaglia against both tuba and pizzicato strings plus a slow cadenza that evoked, so appropriately on Wednesday, the lone trumpet of silent battlefields was emotionally awesome. The finale displayed a brilliance in which the barbs of warfare were delivered with electrifying virtuosity.

 

Her encore, the Andante from Bach’s Sonata No 2, reflected intensity similar to the Shostakovich Nocturne…..

Mike Marsh - BOURNEMOUTH / DAILY ECHO

13 november 2009

Netherlands Radio Philharmonic
Jaap van Zweden. conductor

Shostakovich – Violin Concerto no.1

Zinderend optreden violiste Simone Lamsma

 

…..Simone Lamsma slaagde er ondanks haar jonge jaren uitstekend in die grimmige, latente spanning die Sjostakovitsj in de vioolpartij stopte en daarmee dus vooral op de schouders van de protagonist legde, op te roepen en van begin tot eind vast te houden…..

 

…..Als sterk punt manifesteerde zich haar vermogen, naast een bijna vanzelfsprekende technische perfectie een eigen licht op de noten te laten schijnen en een gevoelsstroom op gang te brengen, die het gehoor onverbiddelijk weet mee te slepen…..

Kees Arntzen - Trouw

3 november 2009

Netherlands Radio Philharmonic
Jaap van Zweden, conductor

Shostakovich – Violin Concerto no.1

Violiste Lamsma maakt belofte waar

 

Al een aantal jaren gold de Friese violiste Simone Lamsma (1985) in vioolkringen als misschien wel het grootste talent dat Nederland ooit heeft voortgebracht. Toch is Lamsma pas werkelijk ‘hot’ sinds Jaap van Zweden haar in september op tv in Zomergasten introduceerde als “een fenomenaal violiste met een gouden toekomst

 

Getuige de fenomenale uitvoering van het Eerste Vioolconcert van Sjostakovitsj, die Lamsma onder zijn leiding met kamermuziekachtige verfijning neerzette in Vredenburg Leidsche Rijn, gaat ze deze profetische woorden helemaal waarmaken…..

Wenneke Savenije - NRC Handelsblad

31 oktober 2009

Orkest van het Oosten
Andrés Orozco-Estrada, dirigent

Mendelssohn Vioolconcert in E klein op.64

Prachtig optreden Orkest van het Oosten

 

…..Zij [Simone Lamsma] maakte muziek mét het orkest en nergens verzandde dit in clichés…..

 

…..Hoe zacht Simone Lamsma haar Stradivarius ook wilde laten zingen, het orkest bleef eronder. Misschien was ze toch gewichtloos…..

Ellen Kruidhof - De Twentsche Courant TUBANTIA

5 september 2009

Louis Spohr: Violin Concertos 6, 8 and 11

Simone Lamsma, Sinfonia Finlandia Jyvaskyla. Naxos CD

Many violinists don’t have a sufficiently strong personality to project Spohr’s [once famous Gesangszene]; Lamsma already does. An urgently recommended Want List candidate.

 

Simone Lamsma plays Spohr with authority- with technical aplomb and a silken, slender sound that recall Heifetz’s. She sparkles in the higher registers….and sounds throaty in the lower ones; such unobtrusive muscularity, coupled with silvery violinistic solidity, makes her a credible exponent of Spohr’s music. The recorded sound sets her in the midst of the orchestral sound rather than aggressively in front of it.

 

Though not nearly as confident as Heifetz, Lamsma still generates high voltage in, for example, the slow movement’s fast episode, and she plays with congenial sensitivity in the Adagio’s main sections. And unlike Heifetz, who succumbed to the temptation to add thirds to the last movement’s passages (as his teacher, Auer, did in Tchaikovsky’s cadenza to his Violin Concerto), she makes a case for it even while playing it straight.

Robert Maxham - FANFARE MAGAZINE

July / August 2009 issue

Philharmonische Orchester der Stadt Heidelberg
Dietger Holm, Dirigent

Spanische Nacht – 1. Schlosskonzert
HEIDELBERGER SCHLOSSFESTSPIELE *27.06.09
Lalo Symphonie espagnole op.32

Nachdem die ursprünglich für das fünfsätzige Violinkonzert vorgesehene Solistin ihren Part kurzfristig abgesagt hatte, sprang die 24-jährige Geigerin Simone Lamsma für sie ein: Ein echter Glücksgriff, denn Lamsma spielte nicht nur bereits in frühester Jugend solistisch unter Größen wie Sir Neville Marriner und Yehudi Menuhin. Sie besitzt auch eine sagenhafte künstlerische Begabung. Nicht nur die melodiösen Passagen zwischen den fliegenden Wechseln von hohen und tiefen Lagen erklangen inwarmen, vollen Tönen. Auch scharf rhythmisierte und virtuoseste Scharnierstellen besaßen eine dynamisch exakte, voluminöse Fülle, die nur über die hervorragende Bogentechnik staunen ließ.
Das Orchester brillierte, angeführt von einer Geigerin, die die melodiösen Passagen förmlich aufblühen und die höchsten Triller vogelgleich zwitschern ließ, in exzeptionell ausgewogener Dynamik.

Astrid Mader - RHEIN-NECKAR-ZEITUNG

30 Juni 2009

Philharmonische Orchester der Stadt Heidelberg
Dietger Holm, Dirigent

Heidelberger Schlossfestspiele
Lalo – Symphonie espagnole op.32

In der “Symphonie espagnole” von Edouard Lalo, die eigentlich das zweite Violinkonzert des Komponisten ist, besticht Simone Lamsma mit fein ausphrasiertem Sehnsuchtston. Neben der selbstverständlich und fast beiläufig gezeigten Virtuosität geben sich nachdenkliche, dunklere Facetten zu erkennen. Es ist nicht allein die Höflichkeit des Gastgebers, wenn Dietger Holm der 24 Jahre alten Niederländerin eine Karriere auf den internationalen Podien prophezeit.

Hans-Günter Fischer - MANNHEIMER MORGEN

30 Juni 2009

Noord Nederlands Orkest
Jan Willem de Vriend, conductor

Mendelssohn – Violin Concerto

FRIESE VIOLIST SCHITTERT BIJ HET NNO

De Friese soliste Simone Lamsma speelde dit prachtige vioolconcert muzikaal perfect….

Jack Frölich - FRIESCH DAGBLAD

29 June 2009

Louis Spohr: Violin Concertos 6, 8 and 11

Simone Lamsma, Sinfonia Finlandia Jyvaskyla. Naxos CD

…..Lamsma, a young Dutch soloist (…..), displays the outstanding beauty of three of them [Spohr concertos] on this fine recording….

Geoff Adams - OTAGO DAILY TIMES

12 May 2009

Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra
Kirk Trevor, conductor

Bruch – Scottish Fantasy

…..she [Simone Lamsma] spun tales that held the DeHaan Center audience spellbound…..

Jay Harvey - INDIANAPOLIS STAR

10 May 2009

Louis Spohr: Violin Concertos 6, 8 and 11

Simone Lamsma, Sinfonia Finlandia Jyvaskyla. Naxos CD

Simone Lamsma verdient roem

 

….. Lamsma paart gretige compromisloosheid aan een volle, stevige toon en een sensitief oor voor samenspel……

Mischa Spel - NRC Handelsblad

3 April 2009

Shared recital with
Tineke Postma

BIJZONDER CROSS-OVER CONCERT VAN TWEE FRIEZINNEN

 

….Een indrukwekkend concert met bijzondere musici…..

 

…..Lamsma speelde op indrukwekkende wijze de monumentale Ciaconna uit de tweede Partita in d-klein voor soloviool…..

 

…..Een muzikaal hoogstandje zowel betreffende compositie als uitvoering was wel de bewerking van Schuberts lied Erlkönig van Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst. Je hoorde in de vioolpartij zowel de melodie van het lied als de begeleiding. Daarnaast was ook de intense emotie van de vader die met zijn doodzieke kind in de nacht door het woud rijdt duidelijk te voelen…..

Jack Frölich - FRIESCH DAGBLAD

9 March 2009

Louis Spohr: Violin Concertos 6, 8 and 11

Simone Lamsma, Sinfonia Finlandia Jyvaskyla. Naxos CD

SPOHRS VIOLINER LYSER UPP

 

Holländska violinisten Simone Lamsmas inspelning av violinkonserterna 6, 8 och 11 är ett fynd. Hon tar fram den lyriska charmen i denna tidiga romantik med värme och äkthet. I den sjätte konsertens rondo, där Spohr tog den spanska melodiken från en av Napoleons gitarrspelande soldater, sjunger ett ungt hjärta i Lamsmas delikata solospel.

 

Utsökt formas den innerliga adagiosatsen i elfte konserten, dubbelgreppen i rondot smeks fram. Substansen i Spohrs konserter ställs i fördelaktigaste belysning i dessa framföranden av Simone Lamsma och Sinfonia Finlandia Jyväskylä under Patrick Gallois. Rekommenderas till både violinälskare och violinhatare
www.svd.se

LARS HEDBLAD - SVENSKA DAGBLADET

18 February 2009

Louis Spohr: Violin Concertos 6, 8 and 11

Simone Lamsma, Sinfonia Finlandia Jyvaskyla. Naxos CD

This is one of the finest Spohr recordings ever made and the reason for this is the fact that Simone Lamsma’s violin playing is simply gorgeous……

SPOHR SOCIETY UK

January 2009

Louis Spohr: Violin Concertos 6, 8 and 11

Simone Lamsma, Sinfonia Finlandia Jyvaskyla. Naxos CD

……hear these persuasive performances and you will regret their absence in the concert hall……

 

……She [Simone Lamsma] is ideal for Spohr, her ability to brush aside the difficulties removing any sense of strain and allows the lyric aspects to blossom……

David’s Review Corner, Naxos<br /> January 2009

Recital with pianist Hannes Minnaar

Simone Lamsma, een violiste van groot formaat

 

…..Simone Lamsma vormde als het ware een eenheid met de muziek……

 

…….Johannes Brahms schreef zijn Sonate voor viool en piano nr.3 in d-klein in de zomer van 1888 ……… Prachtige muziek waarin beide jonge musici lieten horen dat ze deze muziek uitstekend aanvoelden, de ziel van de muziek raakten en daarmee ook de luisteraars……

Jack Frölich - FRIESCH DAGBLAD

27 December 2008

Recital with pianist Yurie Miura

EEN NIEUW SEIZOEN EEN NIEUW GELUID

 

De deur van het nieuwe seizoen, het negende alweer, werd afgelopen zondag in de Kapel van Cultureel Centrum Jan-van-Besouw door violiste Simone Lamsma en pianiste Yurie Miura met zoveel kracht en overtuiging opengegooid, dat het publiek al na het eerste deel van het programma uitbarstte in een even krachtig als overtuigend applaus. Iedereen scheen te beseffen dat er twee talenten van een nieuwe generatie op het podium stonden waarvan over weinig jaren vol trots gezegd kan worden: ‘Die twee hebben hier nog een Kapelconcert gepresenteerd; nu zijn ze voor ons onbereikbaar geworden.’……

GOIRLES BELANG

29 October 2008

Academy of St Martin in the Fields
Sir Neville Marriner, conductor

Schubert – Rondo
Saint-Saëns – Introduction et Rondo Cappricioso

….. Ms Lamsma excelled herself in this challenging piece with a virtuoso performance that brought huge applause from the audience and the orchestra…..

George Pyman - NIDDERDALE HERALD

29 July 2008

Academy of St Martin in the Fields
Sir Neville Marriner, conductor

Schubert – Rondo
Saint-Saëns – Introduction et Rondo Cappricioso

…..The Dutch violinist, Simone Lamsma, was the soloist in the seldom played Rondo by Schubert, a score that seemingly was intended as part of a concerto that came too late in the composer’s life for completion.

 

It was played with a warm and unforced tone and intonation and made an ideal foil for Lamsma’s effervescent account of Saint-Saens’ Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, where she produced the full range of technical fireworks needed while keeping the work suitably light and frothy.

David Denton - YORKSHIRE POST

25 July 2008

Recital with pianist Chih-Yi Chen

Works by Ravel, Grieg, Ysaÿe and Fauré

Violinist returns with bold recital

 

Simone Lamsma, silver medalist of the 2006 International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, made a triumphant return to town Tuesday with a bold, expressive recital as her first professional U.S. concert engagement……

Whitney Smith - THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR / INDYSTAR.COM

9 April 2008

Het Brabants Orkest
James Loughran, conductor

Bruch – Scottish Fantasy

Engels Proms feestje barst los bij HBO

 

Wat goed is komt snel, zeker in de klassieke muziek…….

 

……Indruk maakte vooral de souplesse en precisie waarmee violist Lamsma de schoonheid van Max Bruchs ‘Schotse Fantasie’ blootlegde. Lamsma verkiest een fijn geslepen, transparante vioolklank waarbij het licht op de kleinste muzikale details valt. Razend knap zijn haar kwikzilverige trillers op de snaren. Helder als glas en akelig nauwkeurig uitgevoerd. Technisch kan ze helemaal uitpakken zoals in het daverende slot, maar de emotionaliteit wint het steeds van de virtuositeit……

Mark van de Voort - BRABANTS DAGBLAD

31 March 2008

Lamsma schittert op Night of the Proms

 

Violiste Simone Lamsma schitterde gisteravond in Night of the Proms. Deze reeds internationaal gelauwerde jonge Burgumse wist met haar virtuoze, maar ook fijnzinnige vioolspel waarin ze elke noot loepzuiver uit haar instrument toverde, de aandacht naar zich toe te trekken. Met de Hongaarse dans no.2 gaf ze voor de pauze meteen al haar visitekaartje af. De wijze waarop ze de virtuositeit en daarnaast ook de weemoed, kenmerkend voor de zigeunermuziek waarop dit werk is geënt, op het publiek overbracht was ontroerend mooi.
In Liebesfreud en Tambour Chinoise van Fritz Kreisler deed ze er nog een schepje muzikaal genot bovenop. Met haar vertolking van de Carmenfantasie, met melodieën uit de gelijknamige opera van Bizet, gecomponeerd door Pablo de Sarasate, oogstte ze niet alleen een open doekje, maar kreeg na het spelen ervan een staande ovatie. Zo mooi hoor je dit werk niet vaak gespeeld. Haar podiumoptreden wist ze zeer goed bij de te spelen werken aan te passen.

Gerben Bergstra - FRIESCH DAGBLAD

11 januari 2008

Lamsma en Bonnema op Night of the Proms

 

De uit Burgum afkomstige violiste Simone Lamsma was gisteravond in een volle Harmonie de muzikale ster op de eerste Friese Night of the Proms…..

Wim Vervoort - LEEUWARDER COURANT

11 januari 2008

Elgar CD
Simone Lamsma and Yurie Miura

…..op het Naxos-label ook een prachtige cd van een andere jonge Nederlandse violiste: Simone Lamsma….

HP / DE TIJD

November 2006

Elgar CD
Simone Lamsma and Yurie Miura

She has a seriously fine technique and impeccable intonation, and puts these to use with mature musical intelligence. This is deliciously romantic playing, with its touches of portamento, rich, expressive vibrato and melodic subtlety.

Tim Homfray - The Strad

October 2006

Elgar CD
Simone Lamsma and Yurie Miura

***** 5 star review

Instrumental and Chamber Disc of the Month

 

Delicious Elgar debut disc from young violinist Simone Lamsma

 

LAMSMA HAS A SWEET TONE THAT TOUCHES THE HEART

Classic FM Best Buy – September 2006: Instrumental and Chamber Disc of the Month

Elgar: Violin Sonatas and various miniatures including Chanson de matin; Chanson de nuit
Simone Lamsma (violin), Yuire Miura (piano)
Naxos 8.557984
Rating: *****

Jeremy Nicholas -<br /> CLASSIC FM MAGAZINE - UK

September 2006

Elgar CD Simone Lamsma and Yurie Miura

Strikingly alert and forward moving the Lamsma-Miura duo brings the sonata alive in a way bigger figures often signally fail to achieve….

Jonathan Woolf - Musicweb.uk

25 September 2006

Elgar CD
Simone Lamsma and Yurie Miura

One-time child prodigy, the award-winning violinist Simone Lamsma is working hard to establish herself on the international stage. In Naxos’s continuing Laureate Series, the young Lamsma presents her impeccable credentials in this fine début recital recording of Elgar’s music for violin and piano…..

Michael Cookson - Musicweb-International.com

September 2006

Elgar CD
Simone Lamsma and Yurie Miura

Interpretation: ****
Klangqualität: ****
Repertoirewert: ****
Booklet: ***

In den ‘Laureate Series’, mit denen das Label Naxos preisgekrönten jungen Künstlerinnen und Künstlern ein Forum zur Verfügung stellt, kann man bisweilen sehr interessante Entdeckungen machen – so auch im Falle der jungen niederländischen Geigerin Simone Lamsma,……………

Dr.Stefan Drees - Klassik.com

4 September 2006

Elgar CD
Simone Lamsma and Yurie Miura

***** 5 star review for Simone Lamsma’s debut recital disc

With her Japanese pianist, she [Simone Lamsma] brings rich tone and immense quality to Elgar’s sonata…

Michael Kennedy - Sunday Telegraph, London

9 July 2006

Elgar CD
Simone Lamsma and Yurie Miura

Launching into the Violin Sonata with tenacity that drives the music forward and bypasses the wistful introspection British ears find in every nook and cranny of his music.

NAXOS - David's Review Corner

July 2006

KZN Philharmonic Orchestra
Robert Maxym, conductor

Bruch Scottish Fantasy op.46
City Hall, Durban SA

She [Simone Lamsma] had a beautiful tone, was exceedingly brilliant, suggesting a combination of talent, hard work and lots of love for what she does.

Lindelwa Dalamba - Sunday Tribune, Durban

19 February 2006

KZN Philharmonic Orchestra
Robert Maxym, conductor

Bruch Scottish Fantasy op.46
City Hall, Durban SA

……followed by a superbly sublime performance of Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy by Simone Lamsma……

Caroline Smart - Artsmart, Durban

11 February 2006

KZN Philharmonic Orchestra
Robert Maxym, conductor

Bruch Scottish Fantasy op.46
City Hall, Durban SA

……Simone Lamsma’s playing was a revelation.

 

……From this instrument she [Simone Lamsma] extracted an exquisitely pure, full tone, matched with faultless phrasing and judgement…..

Michael Green - Artsmart, Durban

10 February 2006

Cape Philharmonic Orchestra
Owain Arwel Hughes, conductor

Mozart Concerto no. 5 in A major, KV219
City Hall, Cape Town SA

Die 20-jarige Nederlandse violiste Simone Lamsma, wat ook verlede week die solis was, se vertolking van die Vioolconcerto no. 5 in A majeur, K 219, was ’n fees.

Pieter Kooij - Die Burger, Cape Town

27 January 2006

Cape Philharmonic Orchestra
Owain Arwel Hughes, conductor

Bruch Scottish Fantasy op.46
City Hall, Cape Town SA

Die baie talentvolle Lamsma het ’n imponerende vertolking van die Fantasie gelewer. Haar intonasie is uitstekend, en die toonklank wat sy uit haar instrument tower, is ryk, warm en intens.

Pieter Kooij - Die Burger, Cape Town

20 January 2006

L’Orchestre Charlemagne
Bartolomeus-Henri van de Velde, conductor

Mendelssohn Concerto in D minor
Concertgebouw, Grote Zaal, Amsterdam NL

La jeune et talentueuse violoniste Simone Lamsma a ensuite charmé le public par sa grâce et la justesse de son jeu sur le stradivarius « Habeneck » avec le concerto pour violon et orchestre en ré mineur de Félix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy.

CHARLEMAGNE ORCHESTRE

25 November 2005

The London Symphony Orchestra
Sir Andrew Davis, conductor

Britten Concerto op.15
Barbican Hall, London UK

It can’t be often that the concerto is played twice in London on the same night, but although this laureates’ concert coincided with Maxim Vengerov’s performance of the work at the Proms, nobody was missing out by being at the Barbican: the young Dutch player (born 1985) displayed a genuinely winning combination of musicality and technical command.

 

Lamsma caught the sense of unease in this first major work from Britten’s period of North American exile. Searching for her way through the ruminative first movement, she showed a clear feeling for the piece, and was helped by the powerful suspense of the London Symphony Orchestra’s accompaniment under Andrew Davis. She tore into the fast central movement, and spun rapturous lines over the orchestra as the finale unfolded.

John Allison - The Times, London, UK

5 August 2004

The London Symphony Orchestra
Sir Andrew Davis, conductor

Britten Concerto op.15
Barbican Hall, London UK

First prize went to the Dutch violinist Simone Lamsma, who opened (and closed) the Britten Concerto with a wonderfully honeyed tone, developing a more muscular, keenly articulated style for the piquant interventions later. In the Scherzo she generated a suitably demonic frenzy, with confident multiple stopping and generous tone in the finale. It was a prizewinning performance.

Barry Millington - Evening Standard, London, UK

4 August 2004

The London Symphony Orchestra
Sir Andrew Davis, conductor

Britten Concerto op.15
Barbican Hall, London UK

She [Simone Lamsma] gave a wholly convincing account of the Britten Op.15 concerto (revised version), reaching a complete freedom in the final Passacaglia that had the large audience (many of whom would not have known the work) holding its collective breath – ‘you could hear a pin drop’! It was idiomatic and totally assured, eclipsing the disturbing, uncomfortable experience of a recent account by Vengerov with Rostropovich (their subsequent CD is well rated, and he was playing it again at the Proms this same night).

Peter Grahame Woolf - Musicalpointers.co.uk

3 August 2004