(Saturday Mornings at 10am)
CLASSICAL
Artist: Judith lngolfsson, violin; Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra, Rico Saccani, cond. A native of Iceland, Judith lngolfsson began studying the violin at the age of three. Her teachers included David Cerone, Donald Weilerstein, and two legendary artists: Gioconda de Vito and Jascha Brodsky. She made her debut at the age of eight in Germany, and in the course of the following years, entered-and won-seemingly every available local, regional, national, and international contest. She took prizes at the Concert Artist Guild and Paganini competitions and, in 1998, won the Gold Medal at the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis. She now lives and teaches in Germany, the scene of her debut, and a central location for her flourishing concert and recording career.
Ingolfsson is a splendid violinist. Her virtuosity is dazzling, but never for show; her tone is warm, pure, and beautiful. Her performance of the Tchaikovsky Concerto on this CD, recorded live in Budapest, has a heart-on-the-sleeve quality (complete with lots of slides) that would seem excessive if it were not so genuinely felt. The opening is dreamy and quite slow, heralding an approach leisurely enough to bring out significant lines, make tempo changes, take liberties, and hold fermatas. The second movement, played without mute, is very slow for an Andante and perhaps too ponderous for a canzonetta. The finale is brilliant, full of humor and character.
The orchestra is supportive, but sometimes too loud. Its performance of the symphony is excellent: romantic, free, and colorful. The string sound is warm, the wind solos are lovely.
Rico Saccani, an American conductor despite his Italian name, received Hungary's Legion of Honor award for his musical contributions during his 20-year residence in Budapest.
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