New Haven Register, May 5, 2001

In Max Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, the orchestra continued its current trend of highlighting promising young guest soloists. Violinist Lara St. John clearly grasps the importance of temperament in this late-19th-century showpiece. She gave full vent to its arching, pleading phrases, especially in the adagio second movement. St. John seemed more at home in these long, trailing legato passages and better able to keep the orchestra in the background than in the gymnastics of the flashy finale.

The young Canadian artist got off to a quirky start, stretching and teasing the phrases of the first movement, especially the freestyle opening cadenza. But this concerto can withstand a lot of pushing and pulling as long as the soloist works from a strong emotional core, and St. John certainly did. Moreover, she presented a focused, vibrant tone to match her dramatic sense.

The conductor held back enough to give the soloist space between eruptions by the massed orchestral forces.