Leading With Curiosity: Hilary Hahn on Her New Album, Eclipse, Falling for Ginastera, and the Many Wonders of a Facial Massage
Hilary Hahn. Credit: Dana Van Leeuwen.
For violinist Hilary Hahn, finding success as an international soloist has never been about sticking to the same menu of concertos by Beethoven, Mendelssohn, and Sibelius. Now in the fourth decade of her storied career, the three-time Grammy Award winner has consistently worked to expand the scope of the violin canon — commissioning a slate of new works from composers like Edgar Meyer, Jennifer Higdon, and Lera Auerbach.
But on Eclipse, her latest release on Deutsche Grammophon, the centerpiece of the album isn't a work written for her. In fact, it's not even by a living composer. It's the violin concerto of Alberto Ginastera — a work that's seldom performed, and one Hahn immediately fell in love with when she first heard it years ago. Ever since then, she knew she had to record it.
"It felt like one of those pieces I needed to take on for my own reasons, but also that it wasn't played very much," Hahn says on the latest episode of the Classical Post podcast. "I was enamored with the work, felt like it was written for me, even though I never met the composer. It's exactly what I like to dive into emotionally in music, and it requires a very specific relationship to the instrument that I feel is a strength of mine."
Part of the reason Hahn was eager to record the work was not only the chance to add to the concerto's story with her performance — but also to allow everyone who listens to contribute their personal perspective to the work.
"Music is a way to connect you with your own experience. As a listener, you are part of the interpretation of that music's history. When you listen to a piece, you add to the diversity of stories that it tells, just by being present in its space."
In this discussion, we talk more about Eclipse and why another work on the album, Dvořák's Violin Concerto, deserves much more time in the spotlight as well. Plus, she shares how her wellness routine is all about tuning into the daily ebb and flow of her body, and the facial massage stone that helps her undo the neck and jaw tension that comes with years of playing the violin.
Listen to Eclipse on Spotify, Apple Music, or wherever you stream and download music.
Follow the Classical Post podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or other platforms.
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