Violin Concertos 1 & 2, Sonata for Solo Violin

Amazon.ca A fabulous team-effort, this--soloist, conductor, orchestra and production-team all combining to give of their consummate best. In the First Concerto Gil Shaham leaves an astonishingly confident impression, yet at the same time he does not miss out on the fairy-tale rapture of Prokofiev's gorgeous inspiration. André Previn and the London Symphony Orchestra tender outstandingly sympathetic support both here and in the Second Concerto, which again finds Shaham on imperious, unimpeachably eloquent form. Indeed, both performances abound in fresh-faced, personable warmth and imaginative detail (the LSO's woodwind principals excel throughout). As to the competition in this popular concerto coupling, well, Previn's own earlier analogue recording from 1975 with Kyung-Wha Chung has certainly stood the test of time (Decca Ovation); nor are we short of formidable digital contenders--and the names of Itzhak Perlman (EMI), Cho-Liang Lin (Sony) and Joshua Bell (Decca) instantly spring to mind. However, given the exalted standards on display here, many punters will rightly gravitate towards this exemplary DG issue, which throws in a sweet-toned reading of Prokofiev's highly approachable Solo Sonata (1947) as an appealing extra. --Andrew Achenbac