FIRST NIGHT | CLASSICAL
Chloë Hanslip review — breathtaking Ravel and raw Stravinsky
Wigmore Hall, W1
The violinist Chloë Hanslip performs with the pianist Danny Driver at Wigmore Hall
THE WIGMORE HALL TRUST
★★★☆☆
Nearly 22 years ago Chloë Hanslip made her Wigmore debut at the age of 14. In this BBC lunchtime recital with her customary pianist partner Danny Driver the British violinist returned to play (among other things) the challenging work she performed back in 2002: Ravel’s unsettled and enigmatic Sonata No 2 for violin and piano. If ever a choice invited one to assess how she has developed from child prodigy to seasoned soloist, this was it.
These days Hanslip has an Amati fiddle on loan, and she has clearly developed a strikingly powerful timbre on it. In the right places — and the mercurial finale of the Ravel was certainly one of them — the combination of this brilliant sound, her incisive bowing and
