Who do you think is the most talented female classical violinist currently performing?
Hilary Hahn, Anne-Sophie Mutter and Julia Fischer come to mind.

Weldon

Tamsin Little is an excellent player.

Eliza Carthy

If non-classical: Liz Carroll

Rachel Podger - check out her recording of Bach's partitas and sonatas for solo violin.

so what exactly is the significance of the femaleness of violinists?

quote:

Originally posted by droodzilla:
Rachel Podger - check out her recording of Bach's partitas and sonatas for solo violin.

...and check out her Mozart discs with Gary Cooper. For a different style of playing, I recently saw Leila Josefowicz in concert, and her Shostakovich disc is quite special (Warner Classics 2564 62997-2)

Rachel Podger, and Tasmin Little. Even among all violinsists, regardless of gender, these are my favourites, performing today.

George

quote:

Originally posted by GFFJ:
Rachel Podger, and Tasmin Little. Even among all violinsists, regardless of gender, these are my favourites, performing today.

George

I bought Julia Fischer's Brahms concerto, but it soon jaded. I find myself returning to the Tasmin Little disc.

quote:

Originally posted by Ghom:
so what exactly is the significance of the femaleness of violinists?

They are used on CD covers for marketing. Maybe we should celebrate Julia Rachlin, Nikola Znaider, Ilse Gringolts and the former Mrs Audrey Previn.

quote:

Originally posted by Ghom:
so what exactly is the significance of the femaleness of violinists?

..they look sexy on the cover...

joke aside:
one name missing in above listings and worth listening to:
Viktoria Mullova
http://www.viktoriamullova.com/

Regards

Urs

Viktoria Mullova is arguably the finest violinist of all time, period. The plummy tone she favoured earlier on in her career has matured into something more lithe and sophisticated - rather like the lady herself!

Rachel Podger is great, Tasmin Little is OK, Anne Sophie Mutter never interested me that much for some reason, although there's no denying her talent. Of the up and coming young 'n' pretty generation, Janine Jansen has impressed me most. Also, out of the limelight, Corina Belcea is an astonishing chamber musician who interests me rather more than Hahn, Fischer, Hanslip et al; the new Bartok recordings, and their fabulous take on the Brahms C minor and Op 111 are the finest in the catalogue... and she's got a nice bum too!

EW

Mutter for me, but I have seen her performances more than others so I might be a little biased.

I must confess, I'm not normally a huge fan of the violin. However, we have had several rather impressive soloists with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra this last season (neither or whom I'd come across before). Viviane Hagner gave an impressive account of the Mendelssohn concerto.

We also had Rachel Barton Pine who gave an excellent performance of the Tchaikovsky. She plays with a wonderful verve and personality (the more remarkable since she was nearly crippled in a horrible train accident about 10 years ago). You can find one or two clips on her YouTube page:

http://www.youtube.com/user/RachelBartonPine


regards, Tam

I can't pick a "best," especially not given all the extraordinary players already named. I can add one more for your consideration -- Isabelle Faust. Try her CD of the Faure sonatas, reissued on Harmonia Mundi's "musique d'abord" budget label -- lovely. Also, her performances of Janacek's Sonata, Bartok's Sonatas and Rhapsodies, and Dvorak's Violin Concerto.