Tim Fain and Philip Glass
The Reviews Are In — Tim Fain Spring 2012 tour :
Chicago Tribune
“…in many ways most rewarding,[this] piece on the bill also was the most recent — “Chaconne” from the Partita for Solo Violin that Glass composed for Fain in 2010. Playing from memory, Fain tore through the furious double stops, rhapsodic melodic flights and other Glassian-Bachian flourishes like a possessed dervish. If you didn’t know all the music was written down, you’d have thought the fiddle virtuoso was improvising the entire piece.
… Fain’s supercharged solo encore, the “Second Knee Play” from “Einstein on the Beach, may be the last word in how fast any fiddler can move his bow across the strings of a violin. You had to hear it to believe it. Fain was astonishing.
View Full Review Here – John von Rhein Chicago Tribune, 23 June 2012
The Strad
What was most striking about Fain’s nearly 35-minute performance was its sumptuous, soulful quality. He had clearly worked out the music’s dramatic arts and grand rhapsodic gestures, and the overall effect was closer to Bach than Minimalism.
– Brian Wise, The Strad, April 2012
Chicago On the Aisle
“…the brightest light on this evening was cast by the youthful, California-born violinist Tim Fain. Fain’s performance of Glass’ Chaconne, its ambitious and technique-defying sweep clearly modeled on Bach, instantly tagged this musician with the beaming smile as one of the authentic virtuosos of his generation.
There’s a boyish brio about Fain that belies his maturity — no, his absolute mastery – as a violinist and musician. While Fain tossed off the most formidable demands with almost casual ease, what really made his performance so appealing was its fundamental musicality – his embrace of the inherent poetry.
And yet I also confess that I sat gob-smacked by Fain’s sheer technical prowess, in “Knee Play No. 2” from “Einstein on the Beach,” with its whirlwind spiccato sprints and sudden rhythmic shifts, all hurtling forward in unbounded perpetual motion…
The virtuoso put his songful foot forward to great advantage in three movements from Glass’ suite “The Screens,” with the composer at the piano. Fain drew out long lines of tremulous romanticism, the stuff of calming encores after the heady blistering of the Chaconne and “Knee” music.”
View Full Review Here – Lawrence B. Johnson, chicagoontheaisle.com
Variety
“…Glass took to the stage, flanked by Newsom and Tim Fain. For “Partita,” Fain opened up, revealing his magnificent skills as an interpreter, oscillating between minor-key melodic themes and rapid-fire arpeggios…
For the encore, Fain gave a virtuosic reading of “Knee Play 2” from “Einstein OnThe Beach.” Simply put, Fain’s playing was transcendent; the sheer difficulty of the piece, combined with his flawless execution left the most indelible impression from the entire evening.
View Full Article Here – Matt Kivel, Variety June 2012
402 Productions
“…The show was a collaborative set between Joanna Newsom, Tim Fain, and Philip Glass. Rather. Maybe the most impressive performance of the night was “Pendulum” by Glass and Fain…the ridiculous talent of both Glass and Fain were matched perfectly..applause couldn’t convey how amazed the room was. Fain’s encore, the solo from Einstein on the Beach, was mind blowing.
View Full Article Here –Nick Wan, 402productions.com, June 20,2012