★★★☆☆
There were the Hilary Hahn fans, alert to every wink and nuance from the American violinist’s bow, and there were those who had come to hear Má vlast, Smetana’s cycle of six symphonic poems on the myths, melodies and landscape of Bohemia. In an all-Czech programme directed by Jakub Hrusa, the Philharmonia’s new principal guest conductor, it was Dvorák’s slender, unassuming Violin Concerto that sang and danced most brightly, and that was given space by the conductor and the audience in which to do so.
Hahn’s firm, direct sound and emphatic articulation were rooted in the rhythmic figures of the bass line and the timpani. She’s a phenomenally intelligent, unflappable and generous player, adding little blushes of colour to the double-stopping and leaning