Bonnie Hahn-y

I'm a bit stumped as to why Hilary Hahn was booked to play the Barbican.  The space isn't particularly friendly to chamber music, and the likelihood of her filling the hall was pretty slim, even factoring in her recent Grammy win and the legion of young girls that flocks to her every performance.  Still, those of us who were there were treated to a nice, if somewhat acoustically muted, performance by Miss Hahn and her firebrand pianist, Valentina Lisitsa.  
The pair lent their efforts to three of Ives's sonatas, numbers 1, 2, & 4, of which number 2 was the standout as far as I'm concerned in so far as its mood swings were brought to light with lovely deftness and legerdemain.  Somewhat less intoxicating, however, was the assortment of Brahms's Hungarian Dances, which sadly fell a bit flat.  They would have benefited immensely from a bit of rustication, but then again, what wouldn't?
I was excited to see two of Ysaÿe's sonatas for solo violin on the programme, particularly as I figured Miss Hahn would do them terrific justice.  I was right.  Number 4, in E minor, was played wonderfully: its voices were carefully highlighted, and its tricky transitions were managed very musically, which is no small feat.  The same can be said for the E major sonata, which is all firebreathing at first but then mellows right out into a more reflective mood, which is soon left behind in a burst of adrenaline.  Hahn's performance wasn't as vigorous as what you might get from Leonidas Kavakos or Henning Kraggerud, who're cut from a more ripsnorting cloth, but it certainly got the old ticker pumping and made me grateful for the dreamlike tranquility of Ysaÿe's Rêve d'enfant, which followed.  I love the piece, and wish it was performed more often.  There's a terrific recording of Ysaÿe himself playing the tune, and it's as mysterious and wonderful as anything you'll ever hear.  Hahn's version was more earthbound, but no worse off for being so since the idiom gave the piece an enjoyably robust character.  
 And speaking of robust, how about Bartók's Romanian Dances?  I never get tired of listening to the harmonics of  Stamping Dance  and the wistful melody of  Dance From Bucium, and I like to think that Miss Hahn feels the same way.  It would certainly seem so if her playing's anything to go by.  
The concert was capped off with Paganini's  Cantabile, which was played as an encore to my great delight, as it was exactly what I was hoping to hear.  The piece is perfectly suited to her amazing tone, and she's given it a good amount of attention as a result.  This clip goes some way towards demonstrating my point.  The woman's a wonder.