Hilary Hahn - The Essential Hilary Hahn (2007)

Listening to this disc, The Essential Hilary Hahn, one can easily understand what everybody hears in the young American's playing, to wit, the ebullience of her Preludio from Bach's Third Partita, the passion of her Andante from Barber's Violin Concerto, the intensity of her Chaconne from Bach's Second D minor Partita, the expressivity of her Allegro non troppo from Brahms' Violin Concerto, the ferocity of her Scherzo from Shostakovich's First Violin Concerto, the poetry of her Allegro ma non troppo from Beethoven's Violin Concerto, the charm of her "Movement II" from Meyer's Violin Concerto, the exuberance of her Allegro molto appassionato from Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto, the wit of her "Agathon" from Bernstein's Serenade, and the sprightly charm of her Capriccio from Stravinsky's Violin Concerto. Accompanied by the ardent Hugh Wolff and the Oslo Philharmonic in the Mendelssohn and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra in the Barber and Meyer, by the elegant Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields in the Brahms and Stravinsky, by the masterful David Zinman and the Baltimore Symphony in the Beethoven and Bernstein, and by the powerful Marek Janowski and the Oslo in the Shostakovich, Hahn's performances are the current cutting-edge of charismatic virtuosity. Fans of Grumiaux may not approve, but fans of Heifetz will understand. Released between 1997 and 2002, these performances should be heard by anyone with an interest in contemporary violinists.