Word: concerto
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...concerto grossos serve as overtures to the first and second parts, the D minor, Op. 6 No. 10 and the G major, Op. 6 No. 1 respectively. The exceptional soloists gave performances worthy of Hogwood's illustrious direction, perhaps even of Milton himself. Especially notable were sopranos Sharon Baker and Lisa Saffer, whose powerful voices captured both the light, lilting passages of L'Allegro and the "grave music," as Handel termed it, of Il Penseroso. Christine Brandes, also soprano, however, sounded a bit too bright and overharsh at times. Tenor Alan Bennett and bass David Thomas also demonstrated impressive talent...
Granted, Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor is one of the most popular and playable concertos in the violin repertoire. Upon the advice of the violinist for whom he wrote the concerto, Mendelssohn avoided difficult technical writing, not because it would make the piece inaccessible, but because it was not essential to the piece's form. Nothing, in fact, is superfluous to the concerto's form. Critics called this straightforward style innovative and even revolutionary in the then-stagnant concerto repertoire...
...Mendelssohn concerto is standard concert material simply because it is good, not because consummate performers like Gil Shaham like to play it. Shaham's masterful performance on Saturday night, though, drew out the piece's best qualities. Shaham began the violin solo with a rich, elegaic tone, bringing depth without melodrama to the tragic melody. He continued with a flexible tone that was glittering in his sublime upper register and lusty and rich in the low, and an impressive dynamic range that challenged the orchestra to match...
...third movement is probably the best known part of the concerto. Like the first, it begins on a sorrowful note that quickly changes to embrace a triumphant mood. The whimsical theme carried by the violin and the flutes is probably among the concerto's most difficult passages, and both Shaham and the woodwinds carried it off with carefree finesse...
...obviously spontaneous enthusiasm for the music and a confidence that was mercifully free of arrogance, as well as a thoroughly energizing dynamic with Ozawa. An exultant audience gave Shaham and the orchestra an immediate and well-deserved standing ovation and four curtain calls at the conclusion of the concerto...