Concert Review: Daniel Hope and Friends

Click on pic to enlarge Concert Review: Daniel Hope and Friends 5/4/2010, Highline Ballroom

British violinist Daniel Hope is a rising star. Several of his CDs (most with the Chamber orchestra of Europe) are available from the HK library and I have liked them all. So I was very pleased to find out that he would be giving a concert in promotion of his new baroque album.

The most unusual thing about the concert is where it took place, at the Highline Ballroom, a place not normally associated with the classical world. I found out accidentally by reading the listing in Friday's New York Times.

As its name implies, the Ballroom is close to the New York Highline, a park that runs along a long-abandoned elevated old railway stretch, a testimony to the city's cutting edge in design. It's a great place to walk around and view the downtown skyline and the water to the west.

The Highline Ballroom is a medium sized venue/club that usually caters to hipper stuff. Popular pop artists with high appeal give shows of standing room only. You can buy drinks from the bar. Artists of less popular appeal (jazz, classical) may have seated shows. This one of course was a seated show, with full dinner menu available and a $10 minimum (in addition to the admission ticket). I am not sure you can see from the dim picture that the gents and ladies sitting, many British naturally, were having drinks and food. My friend had a hamburger and I a glass of wine. hey, that's nice for a change.

The program, a mixture of the familiar with the obscure, is the first from Hope's new recording label, DG (which seems to be snapping up all young firebrand violinists in sight; Nicola Benendetti is another example), titled Air, a baroque journey (also click here). Hope introduced every piece, quite charmingly. His playing was HIP-informed and fluent. Ensemble was tight and the baroque instruments were a real sight. Oh, yes, it was amplified, but modestly, so Hope's tone was quite natural. There was no program and Hope introduced his friends by mouth, so I cannot be sure whether they are the same ones (mostly from the COE) on the DG album.

I am almost tempted to get the album, but I'm sure the library shall have it in due time. Meanwhile I noticed the album is available as FLAC file. Now, I'd love to hear that.