Hilary Hahn — Paris (CD)

“I doubt whether [the Prokofiev] has ever been played better than it is here. While others find additional pockets of charm and tenderness, few demonstrate Hahn’s grip on the argument.” — Gramophone

Paying tribute to the rich cultural heritage of a city that has been close to her heart throughout her career, Hilary Hahn presents Paris — an album of three works for violin and orchestra with Parisian connections. Parisian-born Ernest Chausson’s Poème opens the album, followed by Sergei Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 1, which received its premiere in Paris in 1923. The final work is Einojuhani Rautavaara’s final score, Deux Sérénades, written for and premiered by Hahn with the Orchestra Philharmonique de Radio France under the baton of Mikko Franck.

“Paris,” says Hahn,” is about expression, it’s about emotion, it’s about feeling connected to a city and a cultural intersection, in a way that’s inspiring for the player and the listener. It has Parisian threads all the way through it. But it’s also a big reference to the arc of my career.”

Chausson Poème for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 25
Mikko Franck conductor
Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France
June 2019, Grand Hall, Maison de la Radio, Paris

Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major, Op. 19
Mikko Franck conductor
Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France
June 2019, Grand Hall, Maison de la Radio, Paris

Rautavaara Deux Sérénades
Mikko Franck conductor
Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France
February 2019, Grand Hall, Maison de la Radio, Paris

Discs: 1
Record Label: Deutsche Grammophon
Release Date: March 5, 2021