Classical

Seckerson, Edward, The Independent (London, England)

LSO / HARDING Barbican LONDON ***

Viktoria Mullova played the unaccompanied opening measures of Prokofiev's Second Violin Concerto with the self-contained poise and austerity of solo Bach. With the arrival of the orchestra and the lyric second theme, she carried the line with cool, unfussy elegance.

Mullova doesn't get in the way. Musical objectivity might have been originated by her. Her physical presence does not even hint at what she might be feeling. You could say this is a good thing - that we are here for Prokofiev, not Mullova - but I, for one, want to know what she thinks and feels.

Her presentation of the slow movement's arioso-like melody …

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Publication information: Article title: Classical. Contributors: Seckerson, Edward - Author. Newspaper title: The Independent (London, England). Publication date: April 1, 2008. Page number: 20. © 2009 The Independent - London. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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