Western Piedmont Symphony Masterworks II - 2007-2008
Review By W. Gerald Cochran
Samuel Barber's (1910-1981) Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 14, concluded the first half of the concert. Composed in 1939, the concerto is predominately lyrical, with a warm cantabile melody. It stands firmly in the neo-Romantic tradition for which Barber was exemplary. This concerto was, however, not without controversy. After completing the first two movements, the intended soloist complained that the music was not showy enough. Barber then composed the third movement as a virtuoso perpetual motion, which was immediately deemed unplayably difficult by the soloist! It took a student from the Curtis Institute of Music to demonstrate its playability.
The soloist for this performance was Kelly Hall-Tompkins, who had absolutely no difficulty in playing any of the movements. Ms. Hall-Tompkins, who grew up in Greenville, SC, now lives in New York City, where she leads a very busy solo, chamber music, and orchestral career. The concerto's first two movements sing from beginning to end, and Ms. Hall-Tompkins violin did a lot of singing, with a gorgeous voice and splendid tone. The final movement, marked Presto in moto perpetuo, stands in dramatic contrast, calling for violinistic acrobatics and ending with a brilliant flourish, all of which the soloist accomplished without a bit of hesitation and with great beauty. Her playing has been described by the New Jersey Star-Ledger as "…precise and well measured, very clean and sweet...one cannot argue with the technical expertise or fluency expressed..." and I certainly concur. I was so impressed that I would like to hear more - much more. She has released one CD, and I purchased the only available copy that I could find on the internet.
Chamber Music America Magazine
Someone's In the Kitchen - July 2, 2007
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Spirituality & Health
Music Kitchen Serves Soul Food - July 2, 2007
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GSO Concert was a Heartfelt Valentine
Greenville News, Arts and Travel Section
"Ms. Hall-Tompkins followed "The Magic" with some enchantment of her own in the composer's Violin Concerto No. 4, in D Major. In a sparkling display of violin mastery, she sang high and low with her 1740 Montagnana instrument, well attuned to Mozart's idioms with full tone and supple grace. ... Not content with graciously bowing for the third time the audience's applause returned her, she let loose feats of bowing legerdemain on her Baroque violin, fleshing a multitude of stunning colors as she encored Fritz Kreisler's 'Recitativ and Scherzo.' "
Violinist Goes with the Bow
Greenville News, Arts and Travel Section
"As a child living in Greenville, violinist Kelly Hall-Tompkins wanted to follow in her mother’s footsteps and work with computers, she says in a recent phone interview. Instead, the vivacious 31-year-old lives in New York, plays in the first violin section of the New Jersey Symphony, tours all over the world with the famed Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and does solo gigs as time permits. That’s not to mention she recently produced her first CD, which is selling briskly from New York to Greenville."
Years Of Practice Elevate Black Violinist
Dallas Weekly Article, 3/6/03
"..her playing is precise and well measured, very clean and sweet...one cannot argue with the technical expertise or fluency expressed..."
Greenville Native has Notable Success
Greenville News
"Kelly Hall-Tompkins is a native of Greenville and an accomplished violinist. She currently lives in New York. Hall-Tompkins has performed as a soloist with the Greenville Symphony and as a stand in for the New York Philharmonic. Her self-titled album, which can be purchases on Amazon.com. She responds via e-mail."
Manhattan Times Profile
Manhattan Times
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