All just my personal opinion
With the entrance of the solo violin, though, the attention turned towards Sophia Jaffé, who presented herself as an experienced, expressive violinist, with a sonorous, full tone, delivering a solid, convincing interpretation.
Claire Huangci played the Scarlatti sonatas without interruption, and without repeats — this way, she formed a single piece where it was hard for the listener to recognize transitions from one sonata to the next. It’s an interesting idea…
… it was fascinating to observe how the violin remained audible, kept a clear presence even through minimal, light movements of the bow (…)
In the subsequent Larghetto, the soloist enchanted the audience with the most intimate, whispering tones, played almost sul ponticello, with minute, discreet movements of the bow, merely a hint, but always present, down to the softest ppp and below — one could almost sense the audience holding breath, totally captured by this playing.
The first part of this evening was devoted to Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No.3 in D minor, op.30 — a well-respected benchmark among pianists of the top league. Lise de la Salle played this concerto eloquently, with compassion — she visibly lived with the music, also in the orchestral parts: her playing is fluent, competent, aimed at a full, rounded sound…
My first reaction in writing this short review was to use a title such as “Bach’s Christmas Oratorio — How Not To” — but let me start properly: This year’s Christmas concert in the Tonhalle Zurich (on Friday, 2014-12-19) was given by the Zürcher Sing-Akademie (Zurich Singing Academy), the professional choir, founded in 2011, following the footsteps of the Schweizer Kammerchor (Swiss Chamber Choir)…
This was the third Philharmonic Concert of the season given by Philharmonia Zürich, the orchestra of the Zurich Opera House, conducted by the young Cornelius Meister (*1980), who studied and graduated in Hannover and Salzburg, and since has held positions in Erfurt, Hannover, Heidelberg, and finally with the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra. He is also pursuing a career as guest conductor, which in 2012 also took him to the Zurich Opera, where he conducted Richard Strauss’ Salome…