Reviews

 

Joyce Pendola: In your field of expertise, what question most needs to be asked?, Connoisseur, June 1986:
... Regarding music, the New Yorker's Andrew Porter asks, "How can we induce people to listen to music of their own time? There's a real lack of interest in new creative musicians. If someone asked me today who was the pianist I'd be most inclined to go hear I'd say Alan Feinberg - whom many people don't know. The fiddler would be Ben Hudson. They would not be Claudio Arrau and Isaac Stern. ...

Bernhard Klaaßen: "Gewagtes Spiel zwischen Gärten und Pagoden", Generalanzeiger Bonn, 04.August 2004:
... Die "Stuttgarter" sind in der glücklichen Lage, in Benjamin Hudson einen Sologeiger von wirklicher Klasse (Schüler von Heifetz und Szeryng) zum Konzertmeister zu haben. Besonders überzeugend seine Weise, den langsamen Satz, eine Art Serenade, in ungekünstelt gesanglichen Linien zu gestalten, aber auch an Temperament für den Finalsatz fehlte es ihm nicht. ...

Dennis D. Rooney: Reviews of the CDs "Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto, Op.64; Piano Concerto No.1, Op.25; Symphony No.4, Op.90 'Italian' and "Wuorinen: Works for violin and piano", The Strad, November 1989:
... Hudson, however, playing a 1985 Sergio Peressone modelled on a del Gesù and a 1987 Christopher Landon Tourtestyle bow, is not only utterly convincing in the Violin Concerto, but his performance is so fine that he seems able to energise both the orchestra and its conductor. One may not be tempted to discard the various Kreisler, Heifetz, Grumiaux or Perlman versions, but Hudson's easily overshadows Nigel Kennedy, for example, and quite obliterates the jejune and perverse one by Salerno-Sonnenberg. ... The performance was splendid, and set an enviable standard for future performances'. ... It and the Six Pieces proved the most diverting works for me, but the entire disc can be recommended to anyone curious, about Hudson's amazingly versatile fiddling.

Jürgen Leukel: "Ehrfurcht vor dem Lehrer", Stuttgarter Zeitung, 12.April 1999:
... so dass die überbordende Kantabilität Benjamin Hudson, dem Solisten des Konzerts, die volle Konzentration auf Schönheit erlaubte. Der Konzertmeister des Stuttgarter Kammerorchesters spielte mit vollem Ton, sehr präsent und ausgesprochen sorgfältig...

Paul Griffiths: "Celebrating an Escapee From Tradition", The New York Times, April 29th, 1997:
... But the most persuasive advocacy of Mr. Harrison's music came from Benjamin Hudson's violin in the long opening threnody of the Suite with American gamelan, which we were hearing in Mr. Davies's version with piano and strings. According to Mr. Hudson, this laid-back, cheerful art is not devoid of passion, intensity and drive. The old ship is still somewhere in view.

Erwin Schwarz: "Hinterlistiges Musikkabarett", Stuttgarter Nachrichten, 22.Mai 2003:
... In diesem Violinkonzert Nr. 2 schlug die große Stunde für Konzertmeister Benjamin Hudson, der die komplizierten Strukturen und Verspannungen seines Soloparts in technischer Bestform mit Ton und Musikerlaune füllte. ...

Review of the CD "Beethoven: Sonatas for Violin and Piano", Barking & Dagenham Post, taken from www.wyastone.co.uk:
If one sums up the quality of recordings from Nimbus it is intimacy - and this is no more important that in music such as Beethoven's Violin Sonatas. Hudson, leader of the Hanover Band, and Verney, a former Professor for Early Keyboard at the Guildhall School of Music, have a perfect understanding in this marvellous interplay between the two instruments, and the intimacy, well, it works wonders.

Markus Dippold: "Fehlt nur der schöne Klang der Blockflöte", Stuttgarter Zeitung, 08.Januar 2004:
... Überschäumende Spiellaune zeichnete die Konzerte Nr.5 D-Dur BWV 1050 und Nr.3 G-Dur BWV 1048 aus. Leichtfüßig und temperamentvoll glitt das Kammerorchester durch die virtuosen Partituren, angeführt vom genialen Konzertmeister Benjamin Hudson. Nur gelegentlich gab er als Primus inter Pares Verständigungszeichen, konnte auf das perfekte Ensemblespiel seiner Kollegen vertrauen. Mühelos beherrschten die Musiker die ganze Palette der Klangfarben, ...