Violin Music

I have always adored violinist Hilary Hahn’s performance of Jean Sibelius’s Violin Concerto in D Minor. Sibelius is a Finnish composer from the Romantic period.

Sibelius certainly had an opinion on how his Violin Concerto should be performed. He wrote a letter of congratulations to violinist Ida Haendel after hearing her performance in 1949. Comparing Hahn’s performance to Haendel’s, the differences are apparent after just a few notes ring out. Haendel is very controlled, very structured. Hahn, the younger of the two, is more generous with her bowing and timing. Haendal’s trills are neat and tight. Hahn’s trills are loose and flowing and she is also far more liberal with her vibrato. You can even see the differences in their stance — Haendal is rigid where Hahn is relaxed.