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Nobel Prize Celebration features
Elina Vähälä.
See and hear this award-winning violinist perform for a world-wide audience at the
Nobel Peace Prize ceremonies, broadcast live on CNN.
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"The fluent, stylish performance by the gifted Finnish violinist Elina
Vahala, in her Chicago debut, revealed a musician whose brilliant technique is
matched by abundant spirit, sensitivity and imagination"
Chicago Tribune
"...highly musical.... Her delicacy of sound and rhythm in the third movement
was marvelous, as was her drive in the finale, again without any exaggeration or
risk to tone. She breathed each movement, and even the whole sonata, as one."
New York Times
"Vähälä's viscerally affecting approach united musical depth and technical
finesse. Britten's solo lines use percussive attacks as much as drawn-out
phrases, and hers were piercing.... spellbinding" [Britten Violin Concerto]
The Oregonian
"This concert was of exceptional quality. Elina Vähälä’s playing is expressive,
sensitive and tempestuous...intense and smooth sound, impeccable intonation, a
lively bow arm, all with an easy mastery, a clarity of sonority when each note
bursts with life and each phrase leads to the next. Fiery temperament, brilliant
and pure playing - in a recital like this one feels that there is a guaranteed
future for music."
Le Droit, Ottawa
"Vähälä, a Grace Kelly look-alike who cut an exceedingly glamorous figure on the
stage, took over as soloist for two Beethoven Romances for Violin and Orchestra.
She is a patrician, confident player with a big, smooth tone that poured out the
long-lined melodies with true beauty. "
The Seattle Times
"There was a high level of energy, a careful but passionate attention to detail
and a high sense of music’s technical and emotional structure.
In Schubert’s Duo for violin and piano one was constantly struck with the
suppleness and sheer beauty of the violin sound."
Ottawa Citizen
"Impeccable accuracy, a sound that carries, radient and luminous; this young
woman reveals herself to be a top level soloist whose ease and presence have no
cause to envy the other rising young notables of violin."
Le Monde
"...an utterly brilliant interpretation of the work."[Schnittke: Concerto Grosso
#1 with violinist Katrin Scholtz]
Westdeutche Allgemeine Zeitung
"Her playing was blinding, answering to all the demands of the music in power,
virtuosity and soft melancholy. A pure and poetic feeling in the violin tone and
fiery involvement in the interpretation. Yes, it was absolutely brilliant..." [Kalevi
Aho: Violin Concerto]
Svenska Dagbladet, Stockholm
"Vähälä has almost a viola depth and richness to her violin sound. Her Beethoven
was sensitive, musical and appropriately classical in style."
The Seattle Post
"Vähälä navigated expertly through the mercurial waters of
this treacherous piece." [Britten Concerto]
Oregon Music News
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Elina Vähälä,
violin
Chicago Tribune
The Oregonian
New York Times
Washington
Post
Denver Post
Charleston
Gazette
San
Antonio, Incident Light
Audiophile
Audition
Oregon Music News
"Already the powerful first measures of the Brahms D major
concerto and the firm, dramatic grip of the soloist made the listener to expect
some totally new creative interpretation of the familiar concerto, and one was
not let down. Elina Vähälä conjured up of her Stradivari-violin the most
beautiful singing line, whispering pianissimos and full-bodied forte, probably
the way that would have satisfied Brahms as well. I was expecting with certain
interest the interpretation of the third movement, the final. "FIRE AND FLASH"!
Elina Vähälä's dramatic and brilliant insight sounded pure, technically flawless
without comparison.
We got to hear well analyzed and lively Brahms. It felt that the beautiful-toned
Stradivari transformed to a part of a musical landscape."
Ostrobotnian, Vasa, Finland |
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