To print this page, choose print from the file menu. ......

Leonidas Kavakos, violinist

Reviews

Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra/Sawallisch/Mendelssohn:
"In a return engagement Thursday with the Philadelphia Orchestra after a successful 1999 summer concert, Kavakos played the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with restraint, grace and thoughtfulness. His lack of interpretive aggression and sense of power in reserve created a musical charisma that had my ear glued to him. Kavakos' characteristically discreet use of vibrato and sense of classical poise made the solo part of the Mendelssohn seem more like an exalted obbligato than something competing with the orchestra for attention. The purity of line alone was gratifying, but there was more: In the first movement's more introspective turns, the volume drew down to a confiding whisper that made you feel you were hearing something personal and spontaneous. Interpretive points were beautifully integrated into the whole, even the cadenza.
Architectural turning points carried unusual emotional weight. The longing Kavakos gave to the second movement's cunning transition into a new, more effusive theme group made it a moment to remember. Even better was the slow introduction to the finale, a passage usually treated as a setup for the witty, quasicomic opera that follows. But in Kavakos' hands, it was a movement unto itself, equal in significance to the other three. How can you not love this playing?"
Philadelphia Inquirer, September 2000


Wigmore Hall / Demon Violin series:
"It takes charisma for a single string player to command the undivided attention of a whole concert hall, but he kept his audience spellbound, not least by the introduction of subtle embellishments to Bach's line on the repeats; we never knew quite what was coming."
Daily Telegraph


Frankfurt RSO / Saraste - Sibelius Violin Concerto:
"His performance was something special right from the first bar: I have rarely heard the solo part above the tender blanket of strings played with such tranquillity and melodiousness, so controlled and with such a beautifully flawless tone…This work which is a virtuoso’s dream…was clearly child’s play for Kavakos, both technically and musically."
Frankfurt Allgemeiner Zeitung


Indianapolis Symphony / Skrowaczewski - Bruch 2nd Violin Concerto:
"The range of his tonal effects and colours is as astonishing as his technique and the intensity of his sound".
Indianapolis Star


BBC Scottish Symphony / Maksymiuk - Stravinsky Violin Concerto:
"The soloist here was the outstanding Leonidas Kavakos, and he brought to Stravinsky’s continuously active, asymmetric rhythms a sense of line and a stinging articulation which were a joy to hear."
The Independent


National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain / Ivan Fischer - Dvorak Violin Concerto:
"Leonidas Kavakos brought lashings of lustrous tone to Dvorak’s lilting Violin Concerto"
The Independent


Indianapolis Symphony / Raymond Leppard - Lalo Violin Concerto:
"Lalo’s five-movement concerto, which lightens up considerably after the portentous first movement, is not the most obvious vehicle for displaying artistic depth and even a little bit of grit. But Kavakos did just that and made it work. He thundered and shuddered convincingly in the movement just mentioned. The smooth line and glittering trills long characteristic of his playing made the Scherzando movement dashing. […] The finale was a wealth of seemingly effortless articulation; plus a fitting air of nonchalance, the quality that one eminent commentator has said is what this music most requires."
Indianapolis Star


Philadelphia Orchestra / Charles Dutoit - Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto:
"Kavakos has a rare sensibility; delicately nuanced, precise, intense. The artist, from Athens, reminds of the late violinist Joseph Szigeti, whose upright stance and aesthetic integrity are legendary. Nothing for show, music for the music."
Philadelphia Enquirer


Norddeutsche RSO / Claus Peter Flor - Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto:
"…the soloist Leonidas Kavakos and the conductor Claus Peter Flor brought out the beauty of the melodic lines of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto, avoiding any sickly sweetness. Kavakos played his Stradivarius forcefully, with a generous sound, concentrating on the shape of the phrases. The very smallest notes in the final Allegro vivace were spelled out clearly. In the encore, a sonata by Eugene Ysaye, there was a fascinating contrast between an almost inaudible but still wonderfully piano sound and a forceful forte…"
Hamburger Abendblatt