By KYLE MACMILLAN

Midori's touch casts spell over old standby

In the ever-changing violin world, where new soloists explode on the scene and can be forgotten just a few years later, one constant for 25 years has been the dependably polished, engaging playing of Midori.

The violinist was in superb form Friday evening as she joined the Colorado Symphony as soloist in Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35, one of the most oft-played works for this combination.

This devilishly challenging work, with all its high-flying pyrotechnics, is generally considered a virtuosic showpiece, and Midori didn't shirk from that aspect of the concerto in the least, dashing through the finale at an impressively breakneck speed.

But the word that kept coming to mind to describe her interpretation is one not typically associated with this piece: spellbinding. Right from her seductive entrance in the first movement, she seemed most intent on a telling story, finding meaning in each phrase.

There are many wonderful aspects to Midori's playing, such as her voluptuous tone, notably her pleasingly oaken low notes. But what really stood out Friday evening was her expressive, very personal style of phrasing.

Especially in the slow movement, she seemed to linger on certain notes without ever losing the meter, as she strove to tell this section's story, which in her hands seemed tinged with a touching air of dolefulness, even tragedy.