Aisha Syed Castro's video: Aisha Syed plays Vivaldi on Stradivarius FOUR SEASONS

Aisha Syed performs "Winter" by Vivaldi on a 1690 Stradivarius kindly provided by Florian Leonhard Fine Violins. This video is part of a concert which took place in Vilnius, Lithuania at the Palace of the Grand Dukes where Aisha performed all "Four Seasons" by Vivaldi and " La Campanella" by Paganini with the St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra on May 2nd 2014. Critics: "Aisha Syed, a young violinist from the Dominican Republic, was the remarkable soloist in Beethoven's Violin Concerto in D Major. Syed has studied at the Royal College of Music and the prestigious Yehudi Menuhin School. Syed plays with the kind of probing musicality, imagination and freshness that makes thrice familiar music sound newly conceived. Syed took a few minutes to warm up and adjust to the Amaturo acoustic but, once her performance took wing, Syed's crystalline tone soared and intelligent rendering of Beethoven's difficult string writing was striking. Syed did not fudge some of Beethoven's violin juggernauts like some players invariably do. Her strong musical impulses produced some daring interpretive choices. In her hands, the second movement Larghetto sounded almost operatic, the long breathed musical line deeply songful and serene. Syed brought real gusto to the concluding Rondo, the principle theme given gutsy, almost gypsy like thrust. A deeply gifted artist, Syed offered a stimulating reading of a Beethoven masterwork and mainstay of the concerto repertoire" Lawrence Budman Fort Lauderdale Connex, USA “Aisha performed admirably well” Simon Thomas 51st Menuhin Festival, Gstaad "Meanwhile, Gypsy Airs required a sophisticated technique and extreme speed by the young violinist which she managed with ease" Lokal-Nachrichten Bern, Switzerland “Her impressive technique is used with personality and character. She is a real performer, but at the same time she is thoughtful and intelligent and demonstrates an aptitude and an understanding that is impressive” Mark Messenger, Head of Strings at the Royal College of Music “Aisha is a dedicated, hard working, serious young musician. She is an outstanding performer” Malcolm Singer, Director of Music at the Yehudi Menuhin School