(no subject)

[lady_karelia]

It's a Sibelius sort of day around here, and who am I to withhold ear candy. :D

So, yeah, the violin is about to appear in Chapter 4. I'm surprised at this, but Lucius usually knows what he's doing, and I trust him.

Comments

[alabastard.livejournal.com]

All in due time, and I thank you for not withholding, the muggles can have their chocolate candy, I am all about the ear candy.

[lady-karelia.livejournal.com]

Oh, yeah, I prefer ear candy over chocolate any time. Unless it's Swiss chocolate, and even then I'll have it together with the ear candy. :D

[gilded-glamour.livejournal.com]

I officially love you for posting this.
She is such an incredible violinist. Her fingerwork makes me wish I had her hands.
Which reminds me! I made a few Hilary icons and you're welcome to them if you like. :)

[lady-karelia.livejournal.com]

OMG those icons!!! I've taken one, with credit of course. :D Thank you, you made my day with that!

She is an extraordinary violinist, I wholeheartedly agree. What really amazed me, though, was that after having listened to just about every version ever recorded of Sibelius's Violin Concerto, she came out, in my mind, a very clear winner. It's not just the skill--a lot of violinists have great skills--it's the compassion, the spirit, the utter absorption of Sibelius that makes her work of this so very special.

It tucks something inside of me in the same way I felt the first time I heard Brendel perform the Beethoven Sonatas, or Ashkenazy play Rachmaninoff's 2nd Piano Concerto or Szell and the Cleveland perform Beethoven's 9th Symphony. It is as if each composer chooses someone to do their work justice, and Hilary certainly does Sibelius justice. In fact, she brings this particular music to a new level.

Oops. Didn't mean to go all squeeful, lol. :D

[gilded-glamour.livejournal.com]

You are most welcome! I was thinking of you when I made them, I just forgot to post them for you. :P So thanks for reminding me, haha.

I think what really draws me to her is the way she plays Bach. She is really the only violinist who I think plays is exactly the way it should be played--with absolute clarity, without embellishment and with a purity of sound that Bach himself would have envied, I think. I only wish I could play Bach as well as she does.

I agree with the Sibelius thing though. She has that kind of intense concentration that really focusses on the sound. She also plays Elgar really well, but I don't think it's anywhere near as good as her Bach or her Sibelius.

I saw her live and she was just incredible--everything about her is just so wonderfully pure. She's so down to earth and genuinely nice. I have a DVD of her and whenever I need reminding about how to play Bach and improve my fingerwork, I watch that. :)

[lady-karelia.livejournal.com]

During my piano days, Bach was a close second after Beethoven. Since Lucius has entered my life as the Muse, my musical taste has quite dramatically changed. Last year, during the writing of Travel, it was mostly tango fusion. Now, with the Hermione Big Bang, it is very strictly Mozart, Khachaturian (am I even spelling that right?), and thankfully, he always allows a fair share of Sibelius. LOL. Bach is an occasional indulgence, and I'm sure to listen to Hilary's version. I do love Bach exactly for what you said about purity of sound and lack of embellishment!

Ooooohhhhh, and she does a seriously decent interpretation of Shostakovich, too! I'm in awe of her! :D

[lady-karelia.livejournal.com]

I don't know if you're on twitter, but if you are, her violin case twitters: http://twitter.com/violincase