# Hilary Hahn CD's?



## doublestop

I am about to buy my first Hilary Hahn CD, and I wanted to know: which one, out of all her CD's, is the best to buy? I just recently discovered her, and I want to get a great CD. Thanks!


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## cato

Dude! You have just hit upon one of my favorate subjects! 

Which Hilary Hahn CD? ALL OF THEM!!!! 

I was introduced to Hilary Hahn through the movie, *"The Village." *I kept hearing this wonderful violin playing throughout the movie. After the movie, I went out and bought the soundtrack. 

It's freaking awsome!  After that, I started collecting all of her CD's and every wrok she proforms, has this what I would call, a "trademark sound" of her's. She plays the violin with a deeply emotional, sad style, that no other player really has.

I would recomend.......

1. The soundtrack from the movie "The Village".

2. The Shostakovich Violin Con.

That's just for starters! I love Hilary Hahn!


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## Morigan

She's gonna be performing at my local concert hall at the end of the year. Can't wait to see and listen to her playing .


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## Chi_townPhilly

cato said:


> Dude!


To paraphrase Adam Sandler....

<doublestop... *NOT* a dude.>


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## Jwags818

Her Bach CD with the L.A. Chamber Orchestra is my favorite Bach cd of all time. Yes it may not be one for the purist. But it rocks.. And she flat nails it. Every phrase, every note, right on the money...


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## Lark Ascending

I have an autographed CD of her playing Vaughan Williams' The Lark Ascending coupled with Elgar's Violin Concerto. I met her last year after a concert at London's Barbican at which she played Lark A., flawlessly of course, and she came across as a warm and friendly person.


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## World Violist

I went to one of her concerts at which she played the Britten Violin Concerto--a piece I don't particularly like, I might add--with the Cincinnati Orchestra, and it was absolutely amazing. I had never heard this concerto played in such a manner that actually made it interesting. She had the best finger vibrato I've ever heard. A great performance.


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## cato

I absolutely love her! 

No matter what she plays, she has this special sound that I find very moving. I'm not sure if it is due to her style of playing, or the violin she plays, or both, but whatever it is, she one of the best in the world.

A remarkable young lady. 

Check out her playing on the soundtrack for the movie *"The Village*".


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## Ciel_Rouge

I strongly recommend this one:


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## Mirror Image

I'm not a big fan of hers. I find her tone to be quite brittle and her understanding of the overall structure of a piece is quite elementary.


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## Ciel_Rouge

Well, I prefer Fischer and Podger for Bach. However, her Mendelssohn has become THE performance I was looking for and others just no longer sound "right" to me. I think she has brought out all beauty and power behind the notes in this piece. I also like her Paganini.


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## kg4fxg

*Hilary Hahn Fan*

I must admit I fall into that category too - as I have all her CD's.

What is amazing to me is reading critics reviews of her performance and how consistent they are to each other. It is also amazing to learn how she has absolutely no ego. Very humble and wonderful personality. I love her DVD and the tour through Curtis Institute.

I would buy all the CD's.

I am glad to find new talent, it not that I don't like some of the old dead violinists, but there recordings are nothing like some of this new technology. I mean some I have heard are good but it is like playing a 33 1/3 record with all the pops. When you run the finest Hi-Fi equipment all the imperfections become magnified.


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## violin

You know what, BUY THEM ALL!


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## jurianbai

I recommend the one that have the best photos of her.. haha just kidding.

But here a new CD with interesting coupling.









Amazon > http://amzn.to/K06l7v

and my personal favorites are, mainly because of its are my favorite pieces.








http://amzn.to/J9nYPz









http://amzn.to/KAFZGC


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## jurianbai

(sorry double posting, what's wrong with my laptop??)


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## moody

Chi_townPhilly said:


> To paraphrase Adam Sandler....
> 
> <doublestop... *NOT* a dude.>


A dudess forsooth!


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## moody

jurianbai said:


> (sorry double posting, what's wrong with my laptop??)


Try closing one eye.


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## msvadi

I have almost all of her recordings. My advice, whatever you choose, stay away from her Paganini & Spohr. While Hilary's performance on it is debatable (some like it, some hate it, just take a look at the reviews of that CD on Amazon), the orchestra (Swedish Radio Symphony) supporting her on that CD is a total disaster, it sounds like a soviet marching band. Pretty much everything else by her is great. Between me and my wife, the most number of plays has "Bach Concertos" (I just checked the count in iTunes).


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## Vaneyes

doublestop said:


> I am about to buy my first Hilary Hahn CD, and I wanted to know: which one, out of all her CD's, is the best to buy? I just recently discovered her, and I want to get a great CD. Thanks!


Schoenberg & Sibelius.


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## moody

msvadi said:


> I have almost all of her recordings. My advice, whatever you choose, stay away from her Paganini & Spohr. While Hilary's performance on it is debatable (some like it, some hate it, just take a look at the reviews of that CD on Amazon), the orchestra (Swedish Radio Symphony) supporting her on that CD is a total disaster, it sounds like a soviet marching band. Pretty much everything else by her is great. Between me and my wife, the most number of plays has "Bach Concertos" (I just checked the count in iTunes).


Who writes these reviews on Amazon?


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## msvadi

Has anyone picked Hilary Hahn's recent release "Silfra"? What's your opinion?


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## Olias

msvadi said:


> Has anyone picked Hilary Hahn's recent release "Silfra"? What's your opinion?


I'm a huge HH fan but I have mixed reactions to this release. On the one hand, I give her a LOT of credit for doing something new and different. Every CD released is very different from the last. However, I feel like this type of impromptu creation is something best kept to a live performance. Recording spontaneous improvisations is marvelous on the first listen but repeated listenings tend to go stale because the very point of the music is its novelty at that given moment in time.

Personally, I would like to see her commission new works from top composers (much like she did with Jennifer Higdon) and then pair them with repertoire that she hasn't yet recorded (such as the Dvorak VC). I think she's always looking for something new to do, which is fine, because that means I can enjoy "Silfra" more knowing that its probably a one time experiment.


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## Clementine

I had the pleasure of hearing her in concert (and then meeting her!) last year. She really is one of the great musicians of her generation, and I love that she tackles an assortment of repertoire. For me, she excels the most in Bach and more modern music. I'd recommend her Bach concertos with the Los Angeles Chamber Symphony- this is probably her best album as a whole. But her Schoenberg and Sibelius CD is amazing as well (mostly for the Schoenberg). I'm not _as_ keen on her romantic music- Brahms, Elgar, Tchaikovsky- but I do have a soft spot for her Barber which is absolutely gorgeous.


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## Vesteralen

I have most of her recordings. I really enjoy her Brahms VC and the above disc.

I also got to attend an up close session with her. A very engaging young person.


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## Olias

Vesteralen said:


> View attachment 5249
> 
> 
> I have most of her recordings. I really enjoy her Brahms VC and the above disc.
> 
> I also got to attend an up close session with her. A very engaging young person.


FYI if you get the Hilary Hahn Portrait DVD, there is a lot of bonus concert footage of Hahn and Zhu performing the Mozart Sonatas together.


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## msvadi

Olias, thanks for sharing your opinion on Silfra. I guess, I'll stay away from that CD for now. I'm just not a big fan of crossover.


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## msvadi

I went again over Hilary's recordings, and I think "Hilary Hahn Plays Bach" is my favorite. Too bad it's only a partial set. I'm looking to buy now a recording of the complete set of partitas and sonatas for solo violin, and I'm wondering which of the available recordings will be closest to her interpretation. I spent some time listening to previews on Amazon and iTunes of Grumiaux, Milstein, Szeryng, Perelman, and Heifetz. I realize it's just previews, but so far I'm inclined toward Grumiaux. Also, may be I'm biased because Hahn's recording is "more modern" and it was the first interpretation I listened to, but I really think that her version is the best.


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## Olias

msvadi said:


> I went again over Hilary's recordings, and I think "Hilary Hahn Plays Bach" is my favorite. Too bad it's only a partial set. I'm looking to buy now a recording of the complete set of partitas and sonatas for solo violin, and I'm wondering which of the available recordings will be closest to her interpretation. I spent some time listening to previews on Amazon and iTunes of Grumiaux, Milstein, Szeryng, Perelman, and Heifetz. I realize it's just previews, but so far I'm inclined toward Grumiaux. Also, may be I'm biased because Hahn's recording is "more modern" and it was the first interpretation I listened to, but I really think that her version is the best.


I concur. The Prelude to the 3rd Partita is amazing and in my humble opinion no one does the Chaconne better (and she was a freakin' teenager when she did that CD). Her Bach Concerto CD is definitive in my opinion as well.

For a more recent recording of ALL the Bach Sonatas/Partitas I would suggest Julia Fischer.


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## jurianbai

Here the CD that will take you away from your comfort zone.









Hillary hahn Silfra http://amzn.to/JMpS7p


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## Dongiovanni

Olias said:


> I concur. The Prelude to the 3rd Partita is amazing and in my humble opinion no one does the Chaconne better (and she was a freakin' teenager when she did that CD). Her Bach Concerto CD is definitive in my opinion as well.
> 
> For a more recent recording of ALL the Bach Sonatas/Partitas I would suggest Julia Fischer.


I agree that her Chaconne is incredible. When I first heard it (I have the CD) I could not believe it was played by such a young musician. I have tickets to see and hear her live soon. I also admire that she combines lesser known works with the standard repertoire.


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## Lenfer

jurianbai said:


> Here the CD that will take you away from your comfort zone.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Hillary hahn Silfra http://amzn.to/JMpS7p


How would you rate this? Anyone? I looked up *Hauschka* not sure what I think yet...


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## powerbooks

I don't have the Hauschka CD yet, and have perhaps all of the rest of her CDs. One "advantage" of in a dying recording industry: few artist would get a big recording contract, so it is relatively easy for you to collect all!

I particular like her Ives four sonatas, mainly because I do not know these music before.


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