“Karina Canellakis first appeared on local radar in January 2015 when she guest-conducted—and played violin with—the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra,” writes Richard S. Ginell in Wednesday (8/9) Los Angeles Times. “She made quite an impression in repertoire ranging from Vivaldi and Schubert to Peteris Vasks and John Adams…. Tuesday night … Canellakis … made her first appearance with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl [with] three of Mendelssohn’s most often-played compositions, the Overture to ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream,’ the Violin Concerto and the Symphony No. 4 (‘Italian’). Make that four, because the high-spirited Canellakis surprised the audience … by adding the even more famous ‘Wedding March’ as an encore…. Mendelssohn as played by a chamber orchestra … makes it easier for a conductor to emphasize the classical aspect of the music, to impart more drive and shine a clearer light into the textures. All of which Canellakis did, impressively. She has a graceful, flowing, confident baton technique…. As a soloist in the Violin Concerto, concertmaster Martin Chalifour turned in one of his best performances, playing it straight in classical style with flawless technique and a tight, even vibrato.”
Posted August 11, 2017
