For some reason or another, it has been a long time since I last listened to Tchaikovsky's violin concerto. I listened to it today in a live recording by Augustin Hadelich, with the London Philharmonic conducted by Vasily Petrenko. Well recorded, and you would never know it was live, were it not for the (well deserved) thunderous applause at the end of the work.
Hadelich is well on the way to becoming my favourite modern violinist, in a highly competitive field. His intonation is impeccable, his technique beyond reproach. He always makes a lovely sound but, more importantly and more rare, he is a highly sensitive musician who appears to react instinctively to every bar he plays. His playing is always interesting; I would characterise his style as Central European as opposed to what I always think of as the Russian-Israeli-American more macho approach. I listened with pleasure to every bar of Tchaikovsky's concerto and was tempted to join in the final applause. Petrenko and the LPO contribute well, as one might expect; but Hadelich is the star here.
On to the second live recording on this CD, still with Hadelich and the LPO, but with Omer Meir Wellber conducting (never heard of him). A long way from Russia, we meet Eduard Lalo's Symphonie Espagnole -- with all five movements, thank goodness, and not the abbreviated four movement version that was often played in the past on the dubious grounds that a symphonie should only have four movements. Again, it is Hadelich who is the star in this over-familiar work. He is a violinist to whom one listens. The unknown Mr Wellber ensures a first-class accompaniment from the orchestra. Bravo to all concerned: Hadelich, the LPO, the conductors, the recording engineers. This a first-class CD.
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