LINDSAY DEUTSCH
Opus Colorado
October 2, 2011

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The concert Saturday night given by the Boulder Chamber Orchestra at the Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church of Denver was extraordinary. Following the Mozart was the incredible Violin Concerto, Opus 64, by Felix Mendelssohn. Saturday evening’s performance was given by Ms. Lindsay Deutsch.

As Ms. Deutsch began to play, it was apparent that this was going to be an extraordinarily wonderful performance. It has been a very long time since I have heard such incredible lyricism from a violinist. I have heard many violinists play this piece, and some of the performances were exceptional indeed, but none of them had the incredibly sweet, lyrical sound that Lindsay Deutsch generates. It was rich and full, and seemingly without effort, though it was readily apparent that her concentration was on nothing but her violin and the orchestra. She has an absolutely phenomenal technique, both with her fingers and her bow. She does not exhibit any theatrics at all; the only motions involved are the ones necessary to make the music. It is amazing to watch her play, for she will occasionally turn her back to the audience in order to emphasize her sense of ensemble with the orchestra.

In the second movement, she demonstrated the maturity of an absolutely profound musician. I say this, because it is often much harder to play slowly with intensity, then it is to play fast and loud. Every single note has to be considered, and in slow movements one usually has the time to make that consideration. Her phrasing was absolutely masterful, and again there was her incredible tone and sweetness of sound. Maestro Saless and the Boulder Chamber Orchestra matched her dynamics impeccably, and there was no question that Saless had great confidence in her artistic ability and reliability. It was truly a wonderful partnership.

Listening to her perform the third movement of this concerto simply left me speechless. The orchestra was clear and clean, and extremely accurate. She displayed absolutely stunning virtuosity, but it was obvious that she used her virtuosity to make Mendelssohn speak, rather than impress the audience. She made it clear, that in addition to her extraordinary technique, she is a musician first and a violinist second. Lindsay Deutsch is stunning and she is world-class, and she can bring tears to your eyes.

In addition, only on the rarest of occasions, have I heard a violinist that is so equally paired with his/her violin. It gave me the impression that her violin was perfectly suited to her style of playing. She was capable of drawing such beautiful sounds from the instrument, that it seemed her violin was also inspiring her musicianship. How fortunate she is to have found such an instrument! After the performance, I asked her what kind of violin she had, and she told me that it was a French Vuillaume.