The Bottom Line
Featuring three separate works by 20th Century composers, Bela Bartok, Bohuslav Martinu, and Karol Szymanowski, easy listening is something you won't find on this album. Jennifer Koh and the Grant Park Orchestra sound absolutely amazing, performing with great precision, awareness, and passion. If only the music pleased me as much. Overall, the music on Jennifer Koh - Portraits left me with a feeling of agitation.
Pros
- Jennifer Koh's mastery of the violin is next to none.
- Varied musical selection.
- Superb performance by the Grant Park Orchestra.
- Great recording quality.
Cons
- It's not the type of music you'd find yourself listening to everyday.
- It's a little too abstract for my liking.
Description
- Released: May 2006
- 1 Disk, 6 tracks
- Total Play Time: 66:15
Guide Review - Jennifer Koh - Portraits
Jennifer Koh is an accomplished violinist, sporting handfuls of awards. Playing alongside the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the age of eleven, Koh's mastery of the violin comes as no surprise. Her intense determination and lightness of heart are apparent throughout the album.
The Grant Park Orchestra, conducted by Carlos Kalmar, is a perfect compliment to Koh. Its almost eerie how perfectly in tune the performers are with one another. After performing with several leading U.S. orchestras, I know first hand the rarity of such an event.
The album's music has its good moments. Several passages in Szymanowski's Violin Concerto No. 1, Op. 35 are lush and lyrical, as goes for Martinu's Violin Concerto No. 2, H. 293, and Bartok's Two Portraits, Op. 5, but you'll have to ask yourself, "Is digging through the mess worth finding the faintest glimmer of gold?"
