Elgar's Concerto dreamy yet passionate

If you like your Elgar passionate as well as wistful, then this recording by violinist Nikolaj Znaider is for you

Composer: Elgar
Repertoire: Violin Concerto
Artists: Nikolaj Znaider (violin), Dresden Staatskapelle/Colin Davis
Rating:  4.5/5
Genre: Orchestral
Label: RCA Red Seal 88697 60588-2

The first movement’s introduction sets the tone: Davis’s approach is forthright, dramatic and not at all in a way that short-changes the dreamy quality that makes Elgar’s Concerto such an unusual and special work. On the contrary, this firm approach seems wonderfully to cross-brace the music’s wide spaces, as Znaider’s strong and beautiful playing confirms from start to finish. The Finale’s accompanied cadenza, with some marvellous sounds from the orchestra, can’t have sounded as beautiful since Menuhin’s classic recordings.