First published in The Herald on 30 April, 2014
Vilde Frang tends to attract adjectives like feisty, quirky, organic, irreverent. “There is nothing polished or calculated about her playing,” wrote one German critic; “Vilde Frang is only herself,” wrote another. In an industry that churns out palatably photogenic young female violinists at a rate of knots, this 27-year-old Norwegian has managed to retain an image that is less manufactured and more interesting than most. Her publicity photos are modest, almost folksy, and in interviews she is open and unassuming. More to the point, her full-blooded playing is never for show. Her interpretive choices will throw up plenty of surprises, and probably some uncomfortable challenges, but they’ll always be her own.