Review: 56 Years Presenting the Best of Young Artists

Mr. Waarts was commanding in Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor. In the first movement, which begins with a melancholic solo theme for violin, Mr. Waarts tapped into tensions within the Neo-Classical veneer of Prokofiev’s music. He played that melody with warm, soothing sound, but also a hint of anxiety.

That opening movement goes through dramatic shifts, from moments of dreamy lyricism, which Mr. Waarts shaped with melting beauty, to bursts of perpetual-motion busyness, which he dispatched with articulate fervor.

He brought out the slyness beneath the demure surface of the second movement, which opens with a lofty melody over a deferential accompaniment with pizzicato strings. He tore into the rustic Russian-dance finale, playing with bright sound and breathless intensity.

by Anthony Tommasini at the New York Times