In the liner notes for her album of virtuoso nineteenth century violin pieces, violinist Lidiya Kovalenko makes a very animated argument for the existence and performance of such "show pieces," though many of her lines of thinking do not seem well supported. She claims the performance of purely virtuoso pieces is a dying art, which seems instantly contradicted by one look at a CD rack or a visit to a recital hall. She even goes so far as to suggest that works of this nature are in fact the true calling of the violin, a ...
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In the liner notes for her album of virtuoso nineteenth century violin pieces, violinist Lidiya Kovalenko makes a very animated argument for the existence and performance of such "show pieces," though many of her lines of thinking do not seem well supported. She claims the performance of purely virtuoso pieces is a dying art, which seems instantly contradicted by one look at a CD rack or a visit to a recital hall. She even goes so far as to suggest that works of this nature are in fact the true calling of the violin, a curious notion seeing as how the violin's existence predates such overt virtuosity by centuries. Kovalenko's playing also does not support the assertions that she is one of the last remaining torch-carriers of true virtuoso performances. While she is certainly able to get quickly around the instrument, the quality of her playing diminishes as the technical demands and range of the music increase. Passages high in her instrument's range are often out of tune, as are parallel thirds and...
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