By JAMES BASH

Midori does a spectacular tight-rope walk with Sibelius...

Midori ...gave an intimate and introspective performance of Sibelius' Violin Concerto with the Oregon Symphony under the direction of Carlos Kalmar ...With immaculate phrasing, Midori seemed to feel her way into this moody piece, exploring its dark corners and the bright-hued expanses with intensity. The second movement, in particular, with its prayerful stance, emerging from the gloomy depths and ascending to a lighter and brighter space, was sublime. Because Midori kept the volume down, even in the most effusive passages, the orchestra listened and responded masterfully. There were a number of sections in which the orchestra had to quickly swell to a double forte and scamper back to pianissimo, so that Midori could take tenderness to a new level.