Just got out of the Brahms violin concerto with Salonen and Haledich at Davies -- row N, just off the right aisle. Acoustics not bad. Esa-Pekka was of course superb as usual, but Haledich was the star of the night.
The performance was technically flawless, of course, but that was merely in the service of a truly thrilling reading of the concerto. The playing was highly textured and exceedingly lyrical, fooling the ear into hearing not bowings of an instrument but one unbroken sound. As it began, I thought it would be slower than usual, at least slower than the Heifetz, but the first movement gradually built toward the cadenza, which the violinist wrote himself. It's quite a bit longer than usual and much more demanding, though the rewarding thing about Haledich is that the technique is never in the frivolous service of showery, it's always to make an exquisite (often achingly beautiful) musical point.
He plays with elegance, intensity, and verve, and although his personality is vivid and clear, it's always in the service of the music. Perhaps the best violin performance I've ever heard. Just a spectacular evening with which to greet EPS for his first performance as music director. If you can make the follow-up tomorrow at 7, it's worth it. A bit under 90 minutes with no intermission and one encore, a Louisiana bluesy bluegrass piece. Very fun way to end the evening.