Album

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 codas to the first and last movement and in the whole of the magical central Andante, Shaham's interpretations are magnanimous in their restraint, thereby making Elgar's nobility all the more touching. Supported by the able David Zinman and the opulent Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Shaham turns in a performance that rivals the finest of the most recent recordings. Canary Classic's digital sound is rich, warm, and sumptuous.

© James Leonard, All Music Guide

CD 1
Sir Edward Elgar Composer Violin Concerto in B-, Op.61 Work 48:25 Chicago Symphony Orchestra Orchestra, Gil Shaham Violin, David Zinman Conductor
1	1.Allegro	17:54			$2.99
2	2.Andante	12:08			$1.99
3	3.Allegro molto	18:23			$2.99