Review, 05-08-2004

The London Symphony Orchestra
Conductor Sir Andrew Davis
Britten Concerto op.15
Barbican Hall, London UK



“But then it is true that the chairperson of this competition’s first and very distinguished jury, Ida Haendel, was herself once an ardent champion of Britten’s concerto. And requiring so many young violinists to study the work can only be a good thing, especially when the outcome is a performance on the level that the gold medallist, Simone Lamsma, gave here. It can’t be often that the concerto is played twice in London on the same night, but although this laureates’ concert coincided with Maxim Vengerov’s performance of the work at the Proms, nobody was missing out by being at the Barbican: the young Dutch player (born 1985) displayed a genuinely winning combination of musicality and technical command.

Lamsma caught the sense of unease in this first major work from Britten’s period of North American exile. Searching for her way through the ruminative first movement, she showed a clear feeling for the piece, and was helped by the powerful suspense of the London Symphony Orchestra’s accompaniment under Andrew Davis. She tore into the fast central movement, and spun rapturous lines over the orchestra as the finale unfolded. On the basis of this performance at least, she deserved her prize of Pounds 15,000, plus gold medal, concert engagements and recording contract.”

John Allison, The Times, 5 August 2004
Britten Violin Competition, Barbican London

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