Elgar: Violin Concerto

The best performances of Elgar's Violin Concerto have always thrown caution to the winds and attacked the work with unrestrained passion. This doesn't mean, of course, that they can throw their technique and their taste to the wind as well. Elgar's concerto is one of the supreme tests for the virtuoso and the interpreter and woe betide them if they're not up to its musical and emotional demands. Conceived as a memento for an unfulfilled love affair, Elgar's concerto is served best when it's served hot, and it's served ... Read More

The best performances of Elgar's Violin Concerto have always thrown caution to the winds and attacked the work with unrestrained passion. This doesn't mean, of course, that they can throw their technique and their taste to the wind as well. Elgar's concerto is one of the supreme tests for the virtuoso and the interpreter and woe betide them if they're not up to its musical and emotional demands. Conceived as a memento for an unfulfilled love affair, Elgar's concerto is served best when it's served hot, and it's served piping hot here by violinist Gil Shaham with David Zinman leading the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Shaham's tone is strong and supple, his intonation is keen and focused, and his aim is straight for the beating heart of the work. Time and time again, one fears Shaham's ardent intensity may overstep the bounds of good taste, but he always pulls himself back at the edge and his account is never less than chivalrous. But in this way, Shaham finds the real core of the work's expression. In the... Read Less