The best was yet to come. Out on stage came the lovely young violinist, Francesca dePasquale, to perform the Bruch G Minor Violin Concerto. Her biographical information in the printed program described the usual competitions and early appearances with orchestras that are found in the bios of so many young violinists. We also learned that she is a master’s degree candidate at the Juilliard School studying with Itzhak Perlman. But when she touched her bow to strings in her opening solo, we heard the sound of a mature artist fully formed at a young age and equal to any challenge. Magnificent intonation, even in harmonics and octaves, gorgeous control of dynamics and a big gutsy sound that soared at times and whispered at others completely won us over. Her lovely shaping of melodies in the slow movement was creamy smooth and utterly natural. The climax of the movement gave me goose bumps. The last movement was a knockout and earned her a prolonged standing ovation.
Santa Cruz Symphony - Transcendence! | Peninsula Reviews
