In the classical music world, there are long-awaited, much-anticipated encores.
And then there鈥檚 .
Nearly 16 years to the day that she played her one and only Tucson Symphony Orchestra concert in 2007, she will return for the follow-up on Wednesday, March 22.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been awhile,鈥 she conceded during a phone call from her Cambridge, Massachusetts, home earlier this month, then joked: 鈥淎t least I鈥檓 doing a different piece!鈥
In the years since we saw her last, the internationally acclaimed Hahn, one of the most important violinists of her generation, has won three Grammys, had two kids and performed countless world premieres.
Tucson is one of several cities that Hahn, 43, is finally circling back to, she said, and at many of them she will perform works by Bach.
People are also reading…
鈥淚 play Tchaikovsky as much as I can. I play the Bach concerto as much as I can,鈥 she said. 鈥淭here are certain pieces this season where if there鈥檚 an opportunity to play them, I play them.鈥
Her relationship with the Tchaikovsky, the only concerto he ever wrote for the violin and one of the most popular concertos in the genre, goes back to her student days.
鈥淚t鈥檚 one of those pieces you grow up hearing as a student and you aspire to,鈥 she said.
Hahn had originally played the mid-20th century interpretation of the piece that was popular back then, but after taking a prolonged break from the piece, she came back to it years later and learned the complete original version.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not terribly different. It just has some extra repetitions and certain passages and it develops certain ideas a little differently,鈥 explained Hahn, who is the artist in residence for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and has a visiting lecturer role at Yale. 鈥淣ow I have a flow with the piece ... . It鈥檚 a virtuoso piece, but for me it鈥檚 more about the expression of the work and the flow of the work. It keeps the the entire arc in mind. That鈥檚 what it鈥檚 more about for me than about the individual melodies we know. Those are always going to be in there. It鈥檚 more about the whole arc than the individual moments or the flashy things.鈥
In addition to the Tchaikovsky, the orchestra, , also will perform Grieg鈥檚 鈥淧eer Gynt鈥 Suite No. 1 and Tchaikovsky鈥檚 鈥淪wan Lake鈥 Suite. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Linda Ronstadt Music Hall, 260 S. Church Ave. Tickets are $49-$129 through .
The hip-hop/classical crossover duo of Black Violin brings its "Black Violin Experience" to Rialto Theatre on Tuesday, March 21.
Contact reporter Cathalena E. Burch at cburch@tucson.com. On Twitter @Starburch
Cathalena E. Burch
Reporter
