Review in ‘Classical Net’
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra with soloist David Coucheron “The Lark Ascending” in October 2014:
The program ends with an absolutely lovely The Lark Ascending. Most superstar violinists take the work too slowly; Hahn clocks in at over 16 minutes, Kennedy at a nearly inert 17-plus. David Coucheron has no intention of languishing that much, but still proves quite flexible in terms of phrasing. He plays beautifully, with Spano providing a magnificent backdrop on which to paint melodies. Spano continues to enrich the Vaughan Williams discography, and I have no doubt that Robert Shaw would have been thrilled. Perhaps the only thing you worry about is the current state of the Atlanta Symphony, and how long it will be until we get such a wonderful recording from this ensemble again. But we’ll always have this, and it’s pretty amazing.