Perhaps it was the great dinner we had beforehand, but Joan and I really enjoyed hearing Janine Jansen play with the San Francisco Symphony last night. She performed Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto, with the orchestra superbly conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy. Jansen has tremendous presence, and performs with great energy and sweetness. She was highly attuned with orchestra and conductor.
I'd recently purchased her latest CD, an innovative interpretation of Vivaldi's Four Seasons. I succumbed to the commercial pressures, and bought her previous recording, which she autographed after the show.
Our shul-mate Joshua Kosman, devoted his review to the evening's main event, Shostakovich's fourth symphony. Josh wasn't as taken with Jansen's performance as I was, and I certainly defer to his ear and expertise. But for me, Janine brought new life to one of my favorite pieces.
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